Simple and Easy Thanksgiving Activities for Kindergarten
Thanksgiving is a great time to teach young students how to practice gratitude. I’m a big believer that gratitude is something that should be practiced every single day. However, Thanksgiving is a great segue into teaching students about practicing daily gratitude. And once you begin these Thanksgiving activities for kindergarten classroom, you can continue to practice them for the rest of the school year!
In this blog post, we’ll dive into some fun and educational Thanksgiving activities for kindergarten. These activities are designed to help your students develop a lifelong attitude of gratitude.
Simple and Easy Thanksgiving Activities for Kindergarten
Storytime with Gratitude Tales
Reading is a fantastic way to introduce kids to gratitude and the story of the first Thanksgiving. Books like “The Thankful Book” by Todd Parr or “Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving” by Kimberly and James Dean are great options. Read these stories to your kiddos and ask them what they’re thankful for afterward. This is a wonderful way to begin an open discussion around gratitude.
Thanksgiving Journals
Using gratitude journals can encourage students to reflect on and express their feelings of thankfulness. It can be as simple as having students draw a daily picture of what they are thankful for inside an empty notebook! Gratitude journals also help teach emotional intelligence to your kiddos.
Gratitude Scavenger Hunt
Everyone loves a good scavenger hunt, but why not make it all about gratitude? Create a quick list of things they can be thankful for, like a colorful leaf, a friend’s smile, or a warm hug. Give them the list and let them loose to find these items. This activity helps kiddos pay attention to the little things that bring them joy and nurtures their appreciation for the world around them.
Give Back to the Community
Teaching gratitude is not just about receiving but also about giving. Get your kindergarteners involved in a simple community service project. They can make thank-you cards for local firefighters, police officers, military troops, or healthcare workers. You could also organize a small food drive for a local food bank (this can be perfect for those families in need at Thanksgiving!) These simple activities teach kiddos about gratitude, empathy, and the joy of giving back to the community.
Gratitude Tree
Create a classroom gratitude tree using construction paper leaves and a large tree trunk on a bulletin board. Every day leading up to Thanksgiving, have the kids write or draw something they’re thankful for on a leaf and attach it to the tree. The tree will grow day by day, and by Thanksgiving, you’ll have a beautiful tree filled with reasons to be thankful. It’s a visual reminder of the little and big things that make your kindergarteners feel grateful!
Final Thoughts:
Thanksgiving is a fantastic opportunity to introduce kindergarteners to the power of gratitude. These activities are not only engaging but also help them develop an attitude of gratitude. Whether it’s reading gratitude tales, going on scavenger hunts, or nurturing a gratitude tree, you can help your students understand the value of being thankful and appreciating the world around them.
