Thanksgiving 2024 Teaching Resources
Celebrating Thanksgiving 2024 with activities for kids, crafts, classroom decor and more — created by teachers for teachers like you.
This collection of teacher resources for elementary and middle school is packed with everything you need to teach about and prepare for the November holiday.
While some turkey activities are focused on those fun days right before the long holiday weekend, much of this resource collection is curriculum-aligned to help students meet Common Core and state-level standards. Each resource has undergone a rigorous review by the expert teachers on the Teach Starter team to ensure they're student-ready.
Looking for some help to get ready for Thanksgiving in the classroom? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Thanksgiving? A Kid-Friendly Definition
We know, we know. Everyone knows what Thanksgiving is ... technically But do you have a definition that you can use to describe the holiday to your class?
That's where we come in! Here is a simple way to explain what Thanksgiving is to kids:
Thanksgiving is a holiday when families and friends come together to give thanks for all the good things in their lives.
When Is Thanksgiving 2024?
Here in the US, Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. That means Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Thursday, November 28, 2024.
Is Thanksgiving a Federal Holiday?
Thanksgiving is a federal holiday — in fact, it's one of the nation's oldest holidays!
Thanksgiving was the first officially declared federal holiday under the Constitution back in the days of President George Washington. This is why American schools are all closed on this Thursday (and typically the Friday after as well).
How Do You Teach Kids About the Real Thanksgiving?
Teaching your students about Thanksgiving this year and want to make sure you're being socially responsible and accurate? Here are a few tips from the teachers on the Teach Starter team to make sure your Thanksgiving lesson planning reflects that!
- Use books and stories that share the Native American perspective on the holiday. November is also National Native American Heritage Month, and it's a great time to talk about the many contributions of Native Americans.
- Don't be afraid to do a little mythbusting! Teaching students about some of the myths of the First Thanksgiving, but balancing it with facts about what really happened can help educate students about digital literacy and asking good questions.
- Do not ask students to dress up as Native Americans. A person's culture is not a costume.
How Do You Celebrate Thanksgiving in the Classroom?
Like most holidays, we recognize that how you celebrate Thanksgiving in the classroom will vary widely based on the grade — or even the subject — you're teaching this school year. Our teacher team has put together a few ideas to get you started planning for the holiday — from creating thankful trees to drafting a classroom cookbook!
Here are a few favorite Thanksgiving activities to try:
- Try a Thanksgiving escape room as a whole class activity.
- Make thankful wreaths to explore the many things students have to be thankful for.
- Match Thanksgiving CVC words
- Help disguise a Turkey.
Thanksgiving Teacher Resources
What else do we have in store for you?
- Thanksgiving crafts for kids? Check!
- Thanksgiving classroom decor? Check!
- Disguise a turkey activities? Check!
- Thanksgiving writing prompts? Check!
- Thanksgiving math activities? Check!
- So many more editable Thanksgiving resources for teachers? Check, check, check!
- Plus Plan
Thanksgiving CVC Word Matching Activity
Practice decoding and spelling CVC words with a fun Thanksgiving-themed matching game for kindergarten students.
- Plus Plan
Sweet Sight Words Worksheet - THANK
Practice reading, writing, and identifying the high-frequency word “thank” from the First Grade Dolch sight words list. Perfect Thanksgiving resource!
- Thanksgiving 2024 Worksheets
- Thanksgiving 2024 Templates
- Thanksgiving 2024 Games
- Thanksgiving 2024 Craft Activities
- Thanksgiving 2024 Writing Templates
- Thanksgiving 2024 Task Cards
- Thanksgiving 2024 Puzzles
- Thanksgiving 2024 Interactive Activities
- Thanksgiving 2024 Bulletin Board Displays
- Thanksgiving 2024 Mini Book
- Thanksgiving 2024 Color by Code
- Thanksgiving 2024 Labels Signs Decorations
- Thanksgiving 2024 Cut and Paste Worksheets
- Thanksgiving 2024 Dice Games
- Thanksgiving 2024 Escape Room Games
- Thanksgiving 2024 Coloring Pages
- Thanksgiving 2024 Word Walls
- Thanksgiving 2024 Projects
- Thanksgiving 2024 Mazes
- Thanksgiving 2024 Word Searches
- Thanksgiving 2024 Connect the Dots
- Thanksgiving 2024 Crossword Puzzles
- Thanksgiving 2024 Card Games
- Thanksgiving 2024 Sorting Activities
- Thanksgiving 2024 Classroom Door Decorations
- Thanksgiving 2024 Matchup Games
- Thanksgiving 2024 Instructional Slide Decks
- Thanksgiving 2024 Bookmarks
- Thanksgiving 2024 for Pre-K
- Thanksgiving 2024 for Kindergarten
- Thanksgiving 2024 for 1st Grade
- Thanksgiving 2024 for 2nd Grade
- Thanksgiving 2024 for 3rd Grade
- Thanksgiving 2024 for 4th Grade
- Thanksgiving 2024 for 5th Grade
- Thanksgiving 2024 for 6th Grade
- Thanksgiving 2024 for 7th Grade