3 Amazingly Simple Thanksgiving Activities For The Classroom

So you’re looking for Thanksgiving activities for the classroom? I totally get it. We all usually have two to three days with students before Thanksgiving. Starting a new unit or project seems silly. I mean, you’ll only be seeing students at most 3 times that week. Bringing in Thanksgiving activities for the classroom is a great way to enjoy those days before the holiday season really kicks into high gear.

But Thanksgiving is often hard to find activities for, right? Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.

Thanksgiving Activities For The Classroom

Like any other major holiday, kids are typically excited to have a couple of days off from school. It feels like we just finished planning and enjoying our Halloween activities, and we are already rounding third on another holiday.

Here are some Thanksgiving activities for the classroom that your students will love.

Thanksgiving Feast Math

When I celebrate Thanksgiving, my family and I sit together for a large dinner. The turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie are my favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner. However, having a Thanksgiving feast with all the fixings inside the classroom is hard. There are still some classroom Thanksgiving feast ideas out there!

This may be the perfect Thanksgiving feast activity for your classroom if you’ve been teaching about adding and subtracting decimals.

These Thanksgiving themed decimal puzzles are the perfect addition to any of your Thanksgiving lesson plans. With over 18 pages of activities and puzzles, students will absolutely love creating their own Thanksgiving feast!

Looking for something that is not so “thanksgiving.” I have this same resource, but sweet treat themed! With 14 pages of activities all based around treats, students will be going home wanting something sweet!

These math-themed Thanksgiving activities for 5th graders fit perfectly into the curriculum!

Thanksgiving Science Experiments

These Thanksgiving classroom activities are perfect for your science block, upper elementary students, and even middle school. These Thanksgiving science experiments come with 5 different experiments, and here are just a couple of examples.

Create a Parade Float

One of my favorite books is Balloons Over Broadway. After reading this fun book about Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, my students get to create their own Thanksgiving balloons.

Thanksgiving activities for the classroom. creating a parade float worksheet

Using balloons, colored sharpies, vinegar, and soda bottles, students get to try their hand at blowing up their decorated parade balloons.

Turkey Balloon Rockets

Turkey rockets are such a fun Thanksgiving activity. Hold some turkey races and see which team’s turkey is the fastest.

The best thing about this activity is how simple it is to prep. You can find most materials right in your classroom, including construction paper, chairs, and string! These crazy turkey races are sure to be a hit with any grade level.

Cranberry Towers

Cranberry sauce is usually always at a Thanksgiving dinner. Many kids have been taught not to play with their foods, but for science, it’s totally ok!

Thanksgiving activities for the classroom 5 science experiments worksheet

This fun cranberry activity allows students to create the tallest cranberry tower. Before starting, they need to plan out their tower, and once done, they stretch a quick picture of their cranberry tower.

Students will have so much fun with these science experiments they won’t even notice they are learning in the process!

Black Friday And Cyber Monday

Students read about the first Thanksgiving and Native Americans every year. It can get kind of repetitive. Although Black Friday and Cyber Monday are not technically holidays, they are huge days in the United States.

The cool thing about black Friday is there is a history behind it, and there are reasons why it actually came into existence. Cyber Monday doesn’t have an interesting history, but it is still a fun read for our technology-loving students!

This Black Friday & Cyber Monday reading resource comes with multiple-choice questions, graphic organizers, and close reading bookmarks—a great substitute for your language arts lesson the day before Thanksgiving break. Give your students some writing, reading, and fun before the break starts!

Thanksgiving Activities For The Classroom

When you have older students, the last thing they want to do is create a paper roll turkey or label a thankful tree. However, those classroom Thanksgiving activities are a lot of fun. We want to try and continue learning! Having educational Thanksgiving activities makes them a little more meaningful!

These fun Thanksgiving ideas are the perfect addition to your classroom. The best thing? You can buy all in my Thanksgiving bundle! You’ll get the Thanksgiving math, ELA Thanksgiving activities, and Thanksgiving science activities all for one low price! I hope you enjoy these Thanksgiving activities for the classroom!