Thanksgiving is renowned as a season of gratitude, sharing, and the coming together of families. Howbeit, when it comes to kids in daycare or preschool, it can be a lot more than just food and gatherings.
It can indeed serve as a wonderful opportunity to ensure they imbibe the spirit of kindness, thankfulness, and family via exciting and educational activities.
As a school administrator or teacher, below are some of the best Thanksgiving activities that will prove to be enjoyable while also ensuring that the kids learn very important social and developmental skills.
Thanksgiving Activities for Kids in Daycare and Preschool
-
Thankful Turkey Craft
This is one of the best activities to consider especially since it teaches gratitude and creativity. You can start by having children trace and cut out a turkey shape.
They will then have to decorate feathers and write what they’re thankful for on each feather. Afterwards, these can be glued onto the turkey, serving as a great reminder of gratitude.
Materials: Construction paper, markers, scissors, glue, googly eyes (optional).
-
Story Time: Thanksgiving Tales
This is another very good activity to consider since it’s meant to help the kids develop listening skills and cultural understanding.
It entails gathering the children for a Thanksgiving story session with picture books that strive to highlight the spirit of the holiday, such as “Thanks for Thanksgiving” by Julie Markes or “Bear Says Thanks” by Karma Wilson.
After the reading, questions will be asked to encourage comprehension and give room for the kids to express what they are thankful for in their own lives.
Materials: Age-appropriate Thanksgiving books.
-
Sensory Play with Corn Kernels
If you are seeking for ways to encourage sensory exploration, then you might want to consider this activity. It includes filling a large bin with dried corn kernels, and providing the children with scoops and cups to play with.
This will provide them with a tactile experience as well as boost their fine motor skills while relating to the harvest theme of Thanksgiving. You might choose to add toy turkeys or other small farm animal figures to ensure that the play remains more interactive.
Materials: Dried corn kernels, small bowls, spoons, cups, and scoops.
-
Mini Thanksgiving Feast
This is one good way to ensure the kids learn social and motor skills through sharing and meal etiquette. You would want to put together a mini Thanksgiving feast where each child will bring a small plate or snack item to share.
Be sure to coordinate seating in a circle or family-style setting, ensuring that the children can serve themselves as well as thank each other for their contributions. This activity works to inculcate sharing and introduces table manners in a social setting.
Materials: Child-safe plastic utensils, and small portions of Thanksgiving foods (like mashed potatoes, corn, bread, and cranberry sauce).
-
Pilgrim and Native American Dress-Up
Another very good activity to consider, it works to encourage imaginative play and historical curiosity. To organize, you have to put together simple Pilgrim hats, Native American headdresses, or bonnets for the kids to wear.
You can as well leverage construction paper and fabric scraps, and ask the kids to decorate their outfits. Be sure to tell them about the history in a way that is age-appropriate, highlighting more on friendship, respect, and cooperation.
Materials: Construction paper, crayons, scissors, fabric scraps, paper bags, markers.
-
Thanksgiving-themed Obstacle Course
This is a good physical activity that will work to boost their gross motor skills. You have to come up with an obstacle course where children pretend to be turkeys running away from a farmer, or “harvesting” pretend crops.
You can infuse activities such as crawling under tables, hopping between cones, and balancing on beams. Keep in mind that this is a fun way to keep children active while tapping into Thanksgiving themes.
Materials: Cones, hula hoops, pillows, and other soft items to set up an obstacle course.
-
Pumpkin Seed Counting
This activity entails providing the kids with small cups of pumpkin seeds as well as letting them practice counting by placing seeds in various piles or cups labelled with numbers.
One good thing about this activity is that it can also be turned into a sorting activity too, by encouraging them to sort seeds by size or colour. It is an exciting way to introduce number concepts in a hands-on way.
Materials: Small pumpkins, seeds, cups, markers.
-
Make a Thanksgiving Tree
This activity will require drawing a bare tree on the board, providing each child with a leaf cut-out, and requesting that they draw or write something they are grateful for.
Afterwards, let them glue their leaves onto the branches, filling the tree with “thankful leaves.” You might also want to sample the tree on the classroom wall as a fun reminder of Thanksgiving’s spirit.
Materials: A large poster board, markers, cut-out leaf shapes.
-
“I Spy” Thanksgiving Game
This activity will work to sharpen the observation skills and vocabulary of the kids. Take your time to hide Thanksgiving-related items around the room and request that the children find them in a game of “I Spy.”
Be sure to provide clues such as “I spy something orange and round” for pumpkins or “I spy something with feathers” for turkeys. Just as it was noted above, this activity will boost their vocabulary and sharpen their observation skills.
Materials: Thanksgiving-themed objects (mini pumpkins, turkey figurines, cranberries, small toy pies).
-
Potato Stamping Art
You would want to consider this one if you are looking to sharpen the kids’ creativity and motor skills. To organize, take your time to slice potatoes in half and carve out shapes such as leaves, turkeys, or pumpkins.
Dip the potato stamps in paint, and let children stamp patterns onto paper. Note that they can as well come up with their own Thanksgiving cards or decorations with this simple, hands-on activity.
Materials: Potatoes, knives (for adult use only), paint, and paper.
-
Thanksgiving Songs and Rhymes
This activity involves teaching the children simple Thanksgiving songs or rhymes such as “The Turkey Hop” or “Five Little Turkeys.”
You might want to add actions or instruments to ensure that it is more engaging while also helping the kids develop coordination and rhythm.
Materials: None required, though song sheets or musical instruments can add fun.
Be it through crafts, food, or play, these activities will guarantee the kids have a good experience while also learning about gratitude, kindness, and teamwork.