Ideas for Developmentally Appropriate Thanksgiving Activities

Every preschooler looks cute dressed up as a Pilgrim, but that doesn’t mean that they understand why they are dressed that way.  Toddlers and preschoolers are just beginning to grasp the concept of time, so they cannot  understand historical events that took place hundreds of years.

As you begin to plan for this year’s Thanksgiving activities we encourage you to focus on the themes of the holiday that are especially relevant to the children in your class.  You might consider planning activities based on some of the following topics:

Families and family structures: Explore the different people who make up your families and introduce the children to the vocabulary associated with families.  Children can share photos of family members and stories about people who are special to them.

Gratitude: What does it mean to be thankful? Help your students explore who and what they are thankful for and encourage parents and family members to join in.

Giving: This is the perfect time of year to practice giving back to your community.  Ask the children to help you plan a service project that you can work on together as a class.

Traditions: Different families have different Thanksgiving traditions, encourage families to share what makes their celebrations special.

Food: Your students may not be familiar with traditional Thanksgiving foods.  This is the perfect time for taste testing! Try different varieties of cranberry sauce, compare and contrast fresh pumpkin and canned pumpkin, or have a mini Thanksgiving feast for lunch.

Sensory experiences: Thanksgiving evokes it’s own special scents, tastes, and feelings.  Explore commonly used spices and extracts, turn your classroom into a cozy fall space, or explore cranberries, cornmeal, and dried beans in your sensory table.

Classroom learning is the most effective when children are able to make connections between what they learn in school and what is happening in their daily lives.  Help your students create a better understanding of the Thanksgiving holiday by investigating topics that are relevant to them.