It is November and Thanksgiving is just weeks away. Traditionally, Thanksgiving is the celebration of the blessing of harvest. For us Americans, it is modeled from a feast shared in 1621 between the pilgrims of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people. It is rich in history and tradition and worth our time to study.
Today I’m sharing a few Thanksgiving activities to help our kids learn about the traditions and history surrounding it. These activities are geared for elementary aged children.
Thanksgiving Learning Activities
The Mayflower
Literature: The Thanksgiving Story
Alternate YouTube Book: The Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving
After reading The Thanksgiving Story, make a Mayflower and sail it using an empty applesauce cup, paint, construction paper, popsicle sticks, and play dough. See instructions here.
Alternate Activity or Extension: Make this simple Mayflower Craft.
Pilgrim Life
Literature: Samuel Eaton’s Day, Sarah Morton’s Day, If You Lived in Colonial Times
YouTube Books: Samuel Eaton’s Day, Sarah Morton’s Day, If You Lived in Colonial Times
After reading, discuss the lives of pilgrim girls and boys. Make a list of what their lives looked like on a daily basis. If reading both books, compare and contrast how Samuel Eaton and Sarah Morton’s days were alike and different.
Extension: Pilgrim children played with marbles. Make marbles using this recipe or simply get out some marbles and have some fun.
Extension : Make butter in a mason jar.
Squanto
Literature: Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
Youtube Book: Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
Mom Note: Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving is a hard and true story about Squanto being sold into slavery and then returned to America.
After reading, discuss how Squanto helped the pilgrims plant and care for crops. He also taught them how to fish. Corn was a big commodity in colonial America. The most common use for corn was cornbread, which can also be called ashcake, hoecake, Johnny cake, or cone pone. Make Johnny cakes together.
Alternate Activity or Extension: Make Squanto’s Dirt to learn how Squanto taught the pilgrims to plant and grow corn.
Legend of the Five Corn Kernels
Literature: Legend of the Five Kernels (free printable)
After reading the legend, cut corn shapes out of cardstock. Finger paint Indian corn using red, yellow, and brown paint.
Thanksgiving YouTube Videos
(Mom Note: It mentions the pilgrims who died the first winter.)
(Mom Note: It mentions the people who died the first winter.)
(Mom Note: It mentions people who died during this time.)
Learning about the tradition of Thanksgiving doesn’t need to be complicated. It can simply mean a few books, some paint, and maybe some heavy cream to make butter for your muffins. Tell me: How will you teach your kids about Thanksgiving?