Thanksgiving

NEW! INTERACTIVE PLANNING-THANKSGIVING

(Open interactive planning-Thanksgiving) Print and use the document to present activities related to the theme for your group. 

CIRCLE TIME

A treasure hunt to discover the theme

(Open educa-decorate-Thanksgiving) Print and laminate. Set the items on objects throughout your daycare. Ask children to collect them and bring them back to you. As a group, name the illustrated items and invite children to try to guess which theme you will be exploring.

Thanksgiving circle time

Press items related to Thanksgiving on the floor to attract children to your circle time area. You may also press illustrations on the floor to create a path that leads to your circle time area before children arrive in the morning. Hold a “magic wand” in your hands and use it to indicate whose turn it is to speak during circle time discussions.

Thanksgiving surprises

Each morning, have fun hiding various surprises in a box and set it within your daycare. The box mustn’t be completely hidden, but finding it must still represent somewhat of a challenge for children. As soon as they find the box each day, photograph its contents and print the picture so that you can display it near your daycare entrance. Children will be happy to share their daily findings with their parents at the end of the day. The pictures will act as reminders. Wear a special Thanksgiving-themed hat to welcome children in the morning. Each day, name a child who will be your “surprise turkey”. Grant this child privileges throughout the day.

Identify (or name) items

(Open giant word flashcards-Thanksgiving) Print, laminate, and display the word flashcards on a wall in your circle time area. Encourage children to name and point to the various items pertaining to the theme.

AREA SETUP

NEW! Thematic poster-Thanksgiving

(Open thematic poster-Thanksgiving) Print and display.

NEW! Educa-decorate-Thanksgiving

(Open educa-decorate-Thanksgiving) Print, laminate, and cut out the items. Use them to decorate your daycare walls and set the mood for the theme.

NEW! Stickers-Thanksgiving

(Open stickers-Thanksgiving) Print the illustrations on adhesive paper and use them to create a collection of original stickers.

NEW! Educa-theme-Thanksgiving

(Open educa-theme-Thanksgiving) Print and laminate the different elements representing the theme. The items can be used to present the theme to children (and their parents) or simply to decorate your daycare for the theme.

NEW! Pennants-Thanksgiving

(Open pennants-Thanksgiving) Print the pennants and have children color and decorate them. Assemble them to form a garland that can be hung in your daycare entrance

NEW! Thanksgiving bin inventory

(Open inventory-Thanksgiving) Print and use this document to inventory your Thanksgiving accessories, decorations, and activities.

Thanksgiving cutting exercise

Encourage children to cut out several Thanksgiving shapes and items and press them on the floor using adhesive paper. The items can delimit various daycare areas, be used to create a path leading to frequently visited areas, or simply to decorate your space for the duration of the theme. (Open models-Thanksgiving) Print and have children color and cut out the items.

Ceiling decorations

Hang fabric leaves and plastic or real pinecones from your daycare ceiling. You can easily find these items at your local dollar store. Display Thanksgiving-themed pictures on your walls so that children can observe them throughout the theme.

Hand mural
Hang a large piece of cardboard on a wall near your daycare entrance. Prepare a platter filled with autumn-colored poster paint and invite parents and children to press their hands in the paint and then on your cardboard to create a special Thanksgiving mural with their handprints.

NEW! Gratitude banner
Hang a large white banner on a daycare wall and ask parents to write a short message of gratitude for their child or for their child’s early childhood educator. Each day, read a few messages, for example before heading outside to play. (Open memos-Thanksgiving) You can also simply print grateful hands.

NEW! Thanksgiving recognition tree

Draw a large tree trunk on brown paper (or paper grocery bags) and cut it out. Press your tree trunk on a daycare wall using adhesive putty. Draw a circle on brown paper, cuti t out and press it over your tree trunk. Cut 4 cm squares out of tissue paper and have children crumple them and glue them on your tree to represent leaves. (Open memos-Thanksgiving) Print the hand-shaped memos and have children cut them out. Ask each child, “Who would you like to thank and why?” Write each child’s response on a memo and display them on your recognition tree. This activity can be repeated throughout the theme. 

You can also invite children to share kind words that they would use to describe their daycare friends. Here are some examples: nice, happy, smiling, kind, adorable, pretty, cute, charming, great, respectful, friendly, funny…

Gratitude tree

Cut a tree trunk out of Kraft paper and display it on a wall. Trace each child’s hand several times on autumn-colored paper. Have them cut out their hands. They can name people or things they are grateful for. Write a name or item on each of their hands. They can, for example, name a game, a pet, a type of food, etc. There are no wrong answers! Children can press their hands over your tree trunk to represent leaves.   

Our turkey mural

Cut a simple turkey outline out of brown paper. Glue an orange triangle (beak) and wiggly eyes on it and press your turkey outline on a large piece of paper that you have set on the floor. Give each child a paper plate. Add a drop of red poster paint, a drop of orange poster paint, and a drop of yellow poster paint on each child’s plate. Give each child 3 plastic forks. Show them how they can use the forks’ teeth to “paint” a half-circle around the contour of the turkey outline to represent feathers. Let dry and display on a wall.

PICTURE GAME

NEW! The pictures may be used as a memory game or to spark a conversation with your group. Use them to decorate the daycare or a specific thematic corner. (Open picture game-Thanksgiving) Print, laminate, and store in a Ziploc bag or thematic bin.

NEW! Memory game-Thanksgiving

(Open picture game-Thanksgiving) Print the cards twice and use them to play a traditional memory game.

ACTIVITY SHEETS AND WRITING ACTIVITIES

NEW! Thanksgiving activity booklet

Activity sheets are suggested for each theme. (Open activity sheets-activity booklet-Thanksgiving) Print and follow instructions.

WRITING ACTIVITY

NEW! (Open writing activities-T like Thanksgiving) Print for each child or laminate for use with a dry-erase marker.

LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

NEW! Word flashcards
The flashcards may be used to spark a conversation with your group, in your reading and writing area, or even to identify your thematic bins.(Open word flashcards-Thanksgiving) or (Open giant word flashcards-Thanksgiving) house, Thanksgiving, thanks, turkey, autumn, harvest, family, to share, children, tradition, happiness, meal.

NEW! Educa-chatterbox-Thanksgiving

(Open educa-chatterbox-Thanksgiving) Print and laminate the items. Add them to a box that you have decorated to represent the theme. Add a variety of illustrations and objects related to the theme. During circle time or waiting periods, for example when children are waiting for their lunch to be served, encourage them to pick an item out of the box and name it.

NEW! Picture book-Thanksgiving

(Open picture book-Thanksgiving) Print and collect several pictures of items related to the theme. Use them to create a picture book that children will enjoy exploring.

Let’s chat

Print and laminate the theme’s word flashcards. Invite each child to pick a word and present it to the group (ex. turkey). Discuss each item as a group to see what children know about the theme. Ask them questions to keep the conversation going.

NEW! Thanksgiving meal

(Open game-Thanksgiving meal) Print and laminate a series of food items for each child. Cut them out and set each food item in a different bowl (ex. peas in one bowl, turkeys in another bowl, potatoes in a third bowl, etc.). Next, print, laminate, and cut out the meal cards. Children pick a meal card and observe the food items that are on the plate. They must set the corresponding items on a paper plate, naming them. For example, a child may say, “My Thanksgiving meal includes turkey, potatoes, carrots, and cranberry sauce.”

NEW! Game-This is my spot-Thanksgiving

(Open game-This is my spot-Thanksgiving) Print and laminate two copies. Arrange enough tiny images on the floor so that there is a spot for each child. Set the second set of images in an opaque bag or box and have children pick one to determine where they must sit.

NEW! My Thanksgiving path

(Open my Thanksgiving path) Print, laminate, and secure the illustrations on the floor, creating a path that leads to frequently visited areas within your daycare. The path could, for example, lead to the bathroom, the cloakroom, etc. If you prefer, use the items to delimit your various workshops.  

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS

NEW! Modeling dough activity placemats-Thanksgiving
(Open modeling dough activity placemats-Thanksgiving) Print and laminate. Let children pick a placemat and provide modeling dough. Encourage them to use the dough to fill or reproduce the shapes that are on their placemat.

NEW! Educa-cut-Thanksgiving

(Open educa-cut-Thanksgiving) Print for each child. To begin, press a Thanksgiving-themed sticker on the thumb of each child’s dominant hand. Using safety scissors, have them cut along the dotted lines. If you prefer, you can simply draw a leaf on each child’s thumb using a washable marker.

NEW! Fine motor skills-Thanksgiving
(Open fine motor skills-Thanksgiving) Print for each child. Have them tear and crumple tiny pieces of tissue paper. They can use the crumpled pieces of paper to fill a Thanksgiving shape. Use their artwork to decorate your daycare.

NEW! Educ-reproduce-Thanksgiving

(Open educ-reproduce-Thanksgiving) Children pick a card, name what they see, mentioning as many details as possible, and then use the small items to reproduce the scene.  

NEW! Educa-move-Thanksgiving

(Open educa-move-Thanksgiving) Print and laminate. Each child picks a card and executes the illustrated action.

NEW! Turkey hunt

(Open miniature turkeys) Print and laminate. Hide the turkeys throughout your daycare. Ask children to search for them. The child who finds the most turkeys can hide them for the next round.

Shake your feathers!

For each child, you will need an empty tissue box. Cut 2 holes on either side of each box and thread a piece of ribbon through the holes. Use the ribbons to tie a tissue box behind each child. Add 10 colorful feathers to each box. When you give the signal, children must dance and shake their body to make their feathers fall to the floor. What a great way to foster movement!

Thanksgiving bowling

Use a store-bought bowling game and glue wiggly eyes and a beak on each bowling pin. Glue feathers on the top of each bowling pin to make them look like turkeys. Children will love rolling the ball towards the turkeys to make them fall down.  

Stuffed turkey

For this game, you will need a large brown paper grocery bag as well as 2 brown paper lunch bags. Roll the top of the large bag down inwards. It will represent your turkey’s body. Stuff both lunch bags with recycled newspaper. Roll the tops down vertically, as tightly as possible and wrap the rolled-up end with white tissue paper. These bags will become your turkey’s thighs. Glue them on either side of the larger bag. Next, have children form balls with pieces of brown paper. Have them stand a few feet from your turkey and try to toss the balls of paper inside to represent stuffing. 

Magnetic fishing game

(Open educa-decorate-Thanksgiving) Print and laminate the items and use them to create a magnetic fishing game. Slide a paperclip on each item. Use a toy fishing rod or, if you prefer, you can make your own fishing rod by gluing a string to the end of a stick. Simpy press a magnet to the other end of the string.

From one Thanksgiving box to the next

Set an empty gift box at one end of your daycare. Set a second gift box filled with fabric leaves or pinecones at the opposite end of your daycare. Show children how they are to take one leaf or pinecone at a time and go set it in the other box. With older children, you can encourage them to use bowls or even plates to transport the items for an added challenge.

Mystery Thanksgiving box

You will need a large box with a lid. Decorate the box with Thanksgiving-themed items. Punch holes in the box, big enough so that children can insert their hands. Fill the box with fabric leaves, decorative drinking straws, Thanksgiving-themed stuffed animals, tiny plastic objects, pinecones, etc. Set the lid on the box and invite children to pull one item at a time out of the box, through the holes. If you wish, you could also write privileges on index cards and insert them in the box. Children will enjoy discovering their daily privilege by picking a card out of the box.  

NEW! Educ-clothespins-Thanksgiving

(Open educ-clothespins-Thanksgiving) Print and laminate. Children must find and identify the correct illustration and press a clothespin on it.

NEW! Squirrel hunt

(Open miniature squirrels) Print and laminate. Hide squirrels throughout your daycare and ask children to search for them. The child who finds the most squirrels can hide them for the next round.  

NEW! Magnetic squirrel family

(Open models-Squirrels) Print, color, and laminate the models. Next, glue them on magnetic paper. Children will enjoy pressing them on a metal baking sheet and using them to create various scenarios.

Follow the squirrel

Children hold hands. They must follow the rhythm and reproduce the actions of the first squirrel (child) in line. They will therefore alternate between walking slowly or very fast, walking very heavily or tiptoeing, pretending to climb a tree, etc.

Giant turkeys

Provide several brown and beige-colored building blocks. Encourage children to stack the blocks to represent giant turkeys. Continue stacking the blocks until the giant turkeys tumble to the ground.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

NEW! Colorig hunt and seek-Thanksgiving

(Open coloring hunt and seek-Thanksgiving) Print and laminate. Children must find and color the items.

NEW! I am learning to count-Thanksgiving

(Open I am learning to count-Thanksgiving) Print, laminate, and cut each puzzle into 2 pieces. Children must count the items and associate the correct number.

NEW! Educ-association-Thanksgiving

(Open educ-association-Thanksgiving) Print and laminate the various pieces. Children must associate the items that go together.

NEW! Educ-pattern-Thanksgiving

(Open educ-pattern-Thanksgiving) Print and laminate the game. Children must complete each pattern by pressing the correct items in the squares using Velcro or adhesive putty.

NEW! Puzzles-Thanksgiving

(Open puzzles-Thanksgiving) Print, laminate, and cut out. Children must position the pieces to recreate each scene.

NEW! Count and associate-Thanksgiving

(Open count and associate-Thanksgiving) Print for each child. They cut out, count, and add the correct number of items.

NEW! Who will be the turkey?

(Open game-Who will be the turkey) Print, laminate, and cut out the cards. Children sit in a circle. Shuffle the cards and set one behind each child. They mustn’t look at their card. Fill a brown paper lunch bag with recycled paper. Twist the top of the bag and wrap it with white electrical tape. Toss your “turkey thigh” to a child. After catching it, he can look at his card. If he sees a turkey, he must stand up and walk around the circle, imitating a gobbling turkey. If he does not see a turkey on his card, the child must count the items on his card and name them. For example, a child might say, “I see 3 red leaves.”

NEW! Color by number-Thanksgiving

(Open color by number-Thanksgiving) Print for each child. Children color the picture per the color code.

NEW! Educa-dots-Thanksgiving

(Open educa-dots-Thanksgiving) Print for each child. Give each child a small bowl containing poster paint and a cotton swab. Have them dip their cotton swab in the paint and then inside the dots to represent letters or shapes associated with the theme. Let dry and display their work on your bulletin board. Have fun naming the letters or objects with the children in your group.  

NEW! Counting pompoms-Thanksgiving

(Open counting pompoms-Thanksgiving) Print for each child. Children must press the correct number of pompoms on each item, per the indicated number. 

NEW! Educ-math-Thanksgiving with Poni
(Open educ-math-Thanksgiving with Poni) Print and laminate for durable, eco-friendly use. Children count the objects in each rectangle and circle the corresponding number.

NEW! Educ-trace-Thanksgiving with Poni

(Open educ-trace-Thanksgiving with Poni) Print for each child. Children trace the dotted lines with a marker of the corresponding color and then color the item at the end of each line using the same color.  

NEW! Educ-différences-Thanksgiving with Poni

(Open educ-différences-Thanksgiving with Poni) Print and laminate for durable, eco-friendly use. Children must find the indicated number of differences and circle them with a dry-erase marker. 

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

NEW! Vocabulary-Thanksgiving

(Open word flashcards-Thanksgiving) Print two copies of the word flashcards and laminate them. Cut them out and add one series to a manipulation bin filled with chickpeas. Children take turns picking a word and searching for the matching word in the bin. They can use kitchen tongs, a paintbrush, or Popsicle sticks to move the chickpeas around and find their word.

NEW! Treasure hunt-Thanksgiving

(Open treasure hunt-Thanksgiving) Print 2 copies of the document. Laminate and cut out the small illustrations. Divide your group into 2 teams and give each one a muffin tin with 12 cavities. They glue an illustration in the bottom of each cavity. In the yard, children work with their teammates to find the illustrated items. For example, they will set blades of grass in the cavity containing a picture of grass. The team who finds the most items wins.  

NEW! Photo booth-Thanksgiving

(Open photo booth-Thanksgiving) Print the accessory models, cut them out, and glue them on colorful drinking straws. At your local dollar store, purchase hats, headbands, scarves, glasses, etc. to complete your collection. Set up and decorate a corner in your daycare to represent a Thanksgiving decor. Let children pick and choose their favorite accessories and photograph them. You can even encourage parents to take part in the fun! Print the pictures and display them on a wall for everyone to see.

NEW! Scrapbook-Thanksgiving
Print this new scrapbook page for each child. (Open scrapbook-Thanksgiving) Have them complete the page and add it to their scrapbook.

ARTS & CRAFTS

Fingerprint Thanksgiving tree

Invite children to find 4 tree branches and glue them vertically on a piece of paper to represent tree trunks. Children cut out and press words of gratitude on their trees or, if they prefer, they can press their finger in paint and then above each tree to represent leaves.

NEW! Puppets-Thanksgiving

(Open puppets-Thanksgiving) Use the puppets for their "creative" aspect. Children will enjoy making them talk and interact. You will find several puppet templates in the Educatall Club.

NEW! Models-Thanksgiving

(Open models-Thanksgiving) Print the different models and use them for various activities and projects throughout the theme.  

My book-Thanksgiving

Cut pictures associated with Thanksgiving out of magazines, old books, etc. Glue them on pieces of paper measuring 10 cm x 13 cm. Arrange the pictures in sandwich bags, adding 2 back-to-back pictures in each one. Staple the bags together, with the opening on the opposite side so that you can easily open the bags to remove the pictures if needed. Cover the staples with colorful adhesive tape to protect little fingers.

NEW! Mandalas-Thanksgiving

(Open mandalas-Thanksgiving) Print for each child. Invite children to color the mandalas to provide them with a calming activity when necessary. 

NEW! My Thanksgiving hat

(Open my Thanksgiving hat) Print and cut out. Glue the items on a paper headband or hat.

NEW! Models-Turkeys

(Open models-Turkeys) Print the different models and use them for activities and projects throughout the theme.

NEW! Turkey clock

(Open turkey clock) Print and cut out the various pieces. Give each child a paper plate and ask them to press the “12” at the top and the “6” at the bottom. Help them add the other numbers to represent a clock. Cut the two clock hands. In the center of the plate, punch a small hole and insert a fastener to hold the clock hands in place. Glue the other parts around the clock to make it look like a turkey.

COLORING PAGES

NEW! Coloring pages theme-Thanksgiving

(Open coloring pages theme-Thanksgiving) Print for each child.

Have fun!

The educatall team