Thanksgiving Activities for Homeschoolers

There are many Thanksgiving activities for homeschool children to take part in. One of the best ways to educate your homeschooler is to incorporate activities like arts, crafts, games, and more into your core curriculum. Not only do children develop an understanding of the holiday on the whole, but they also gain an appreciation of the holiday, and the traditions that take place on this day. In this helpful guide, you will be introduced to some Thanksgiving activities for homeschoolers that you and your family may like to engage in this year.

Show and Tell Thanksgiving Book Reports

There are many different books available at your local bookstore, library, and even online that incorporate the Thanksgiving holiday into them. You could encourage your child or children to create a “Show and Tell Book Report”. Now, this works a bit differently than your basic book report in that instead of writing about it and then reading the report or turning it in to you, they will act out the plot of the story. In a way, they are creating their own Thanksgiving play based on the story that they have read. They can act as the character, or they can make hand puppets, or finger puppets to tell the story! If you are interested in Thanksgiving books for kids, you may consider the following:

“Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks” by Sonja Lamut and Margaret Sutherland

“10 Fat Turkeys” by Tony Johnston

“Dora’s Thanksgiving” by Sarah Willson

Hand Turkey Wreath

The “Hand Turkey Wreath” is a classic homeschool and public school activity among children. While I intended to provide activities that are unique, and original, this particular activity is almost a tradition among children, so I just had to share it! This is a super easy and fun activity that can enhance the fine motor skills of children that are in their younger years. Third graders and younger children seem to really enjoy this activity!

• Gather up different colored sheets of construction paper

• Get out the kid safe scissors

• Provide items that the child can write with like pens, pencils, markers, and crayons.

• Get out the glue sticks

• You may choose to provide stickers and foam decorations to enhance the appeal of the wreath.

Simply have the child trace their hand on the different pages of construction paper that you have provided. Once this is done, encourage them to cut them out and then write something that they are thankful for on one side of the hand. They may then color the hand shapes, or decorate in the way that they wish. Once this is completed, they will take the glue sticks and glue the pieces together in a circular fashion. If they want to place stickers or other decorations on the wreath, they can do so after this step. Then, they can hang the wreath where everyone can see it!

Teepee Toss

This is an interesting little game that your homeschooler may enjoy. If you have more than one child, this can be a lot of fun. You will simply take construction paper and fold it in a cone like fashion and staple it together at the top so that it does not come undone. Then, you can allow the child to decorate it any way that they want. Next, you should designate an area where the child can “toss” the teepee. Naturally, who ever has the teepee that goes the farthest wins! Simple concept, but an exciting one if there are at least two children involved.

Thanksgiving Treasure Hunt

If you have at least two homeschoolers, the Thanksgiving Treasure Hunt can be an activity that will bring lots of fun! This is set up like a scavenger hunt, but each piece that the child finds leads them closer to the big treasure. The big treasure can be Thanksgiving activity books, novelty items, and more. The choice is yours! You can hide things like laminated pictures of turkeys, pilgrims, feathers, and more. With each item that you hide, leave a small note with it that includes a “clue” as to where the next item is. Eventually, the children will find the “treasure”! You may even want to include facts about the holiday on the papers where you write the clues.

Summary

If you are in need of Thanksgiving activities for homeschoolers, there are many that you can choose from. Here, you have been introduced to some really fun ideas that your child, or your children are sure to love! Remember, when teaching children, it is important to make the lesson more “playful” than approaching it like work. Children love to play and Thanksgiving activities that are fun and playful will teach them all the things that they need to know!