Preschool Thanksgiving Theme
Activities for your Preschool Classroom

Let the Preschool Thanksgiving Theme activities planning begin!

Scroll down through this page to see all of the preschool activities for your Preschool Thanksgiving Theme Activities!

Coffee Filter Feathers

Materials: coffee filters, turkey shapes cut out of brown paper, markers, glue, spray water bottles or pipettes (eye droppers).

The children color their coffee filters with markers and then spray or drop water on them to spread the water out.

While the filters are drying (they dry very quickly!), the children use the markers to draw faces on their turkeys.

Glue the filter on the turkey as feathers. (Fold accordion style and then glue--we've actually had to staple them on!).

Corn Collage

Have the children cut out (or you can precut) corn on the cob shapes onto sturdy card stock paper.

Provide dried peas and beans or unpopped and popped popcorn to glue on.

Add crepe paper to look like husks.

Add a magnet to the back for a refrigerator magnet.

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Farming

Materials: Set up your farm toys in block area. Each child may build their own house and then tend their own little farm!

Circle Time is such a great time for children to learn the social skills of being together as a large group AND to learn more about your theme!

How Do Turkeys Move?

Have the children act out this poem several times at circle!

I have a turkey, big and fat.

He spreads his wings...

And walks like that.

His meal of corn he would not miss.

And when he talks he sounds like this........

10 Fat Turkeys Fingerplay

Ten fat turkeys standing in a row. (Hold up 10 fingers)

They spread their wings and tails just so. (Fan out your fingers)

They strut to the left.

They strut to the right.

They all stand up, ready to fight. (Fingers up straight and not moving)

Along comes a mean, he was just one. (Hold up just 1 finger)

Gobble, gobble, gobble--just watch him run!

Thanksgiving Countdown

Materials Needed: Make a paper chain with the number of days until Thanksgiving. A child tears one off each day and counts with the group together.

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Cooking with children helps develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. It also allows for some great conversation! Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific Thanksgiving theme questions while making these fun snacks!

Ocean Punch

Ingredients and Items Needed: pineapple-orange-banana juice(64 ounces); lemon-lime soda(32 ounces); frozen limeage concentrate tha tis thawed (6 ounce can); frozen peaches and strawberries; a couple of bananas and a couple of oranges.

Have the children help you to peel and slice the fruit and place it in a large punch bowl. Add the juice and soda. Enjoy!

Bread in a Bag

Ingredients and items needed: For one loaf you will need:

2 cups all purpose flour; 1 package of rapid rise yeast; 3 tablespoons sugar; 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 cup hot water; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 cup whole wheat flour; 1 gallon sized ziplock freezer bag.

Combine the all purpose flour, yeast, sugar, dry milk and salt in the freezer bag. Seal (forcing air out first) and shake bag until blended.

Add Hot water and oil to bag. Reseal and mix by working with your hands.

Add whole wheat flour. Reseal bag and mix again.

Add more all purpose flour as needed until the dough pulls away from the bag.

Flour a flat surface, knead dough 2-4 minutes until it is a smooth dough.

cover with a towel and let sit 10 minutes.

The children will love checking this as it rises!!!

Roll dough to a 12 X 7 inch rectangle.

Roll up from one short end. Pinch the edges to seal when rolled.

Place in oiled oaf pan.

Place a 9 X 13 inch pan on a counter out of the reach of children.

Fill half way with boiling water.

Place a cookie sheet on top of this pan.

Place the loaf pan on top of the cookie sheet.

Cover loaf pan with towel and let dough rise 20 minutes (or until it doubles in size).

Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

We have made cards for each ingredient and had each child make their own loaf and then sent it home to be baked and enjoyed. This may take extra adult helpers to do!

Home Made Butter

Large glass jar, heavy whipping cream, salt

Pour whipping cream into the jar, a bit less than half full.

Sprinkle in some salt.

Cover jar and have the children shake continually (they can help make one jar together or you may be shaking 16 jars yourself!). After about 5 minutes of shaking, the water will separate from the cream and the cream will become more solid.

Pour our the liquid and continue shaking.

This would be great on your home made bread!

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Grocery Store

With so much shopping happening at home in preparation for the holiday, a Preschool Thanksgiving Activities Theme is a great time to make your own grocery store! Provide boxes of all kinds from your recycling for the children to shop for! Don't forget grocery bags, cash registers and money as well!

(Although that is always THE favorite in our classroom!)

Feather Painting

Materials Needed: Feathers and paint!

The designs that feathers make in paint are wonderful when used on a large piece of paper at the easel!

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Feather Tossing Time

Materials- craft feathers

You will be giving the children instructions to act out. Tell them you will toss a feather high up in the air and they need to do the instruction before the feather touches the ground. We've made the rule that only the teacher picks up the feather (to avoid them bonking heads! and for them to focus on the action instruction).

Pat someone's back and thank them for being a friend.

Rub someone's shoulders and say "Are you OK?"

Hold someone's hand and jump with them 3 times.

Clap your hands 5 times.

You can let the children each take a turn giving an instruction and tossing the feather.

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How Many Feathers

Materials: Shoe Box, number cards, feathers

Make a shoe box into a turkey! Cut small holes on the cover of the shoe box.

Have the children choose a number card. They tell you what number they have. They then count out that number of feathers and place them "into" the turkey by placing the feathers into the hole you cut.

Feather Sorting

Materials: Just feathers!

Put out a variety of feathers--different colors and shapes. Let the children sort them by different attributes.

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Turkey Wobbling

Play some music and have the children act out the following:

Be a BIG turkey.

Be a small turkey.

Be a happy turkey.

Be a sleepy turkey.

Etc.!

Turkey Hokey Pokey

The same as the Hokey Pokey but with turkey parts! Wings, tail feathers, wattles!!

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Thanksgiving

Add some leaves, cornmeal and unpopped popcorn kernels to your sand table today! Really, try it!

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Growing Corn!

Materials: unpopped popcorn, Ziploc baggies, soil, water

The children place dirt in a Ziploc baggie.

Add water to make the dirt moist (but not soaked!)

Add a few kernels of popcorn.

Seal baggie. Have children mix.

Tape to a sunny window. There should be signs of growth within a week.

Investigation Station

Materials: Provide magnifying glasses, Indian corn, corn on the cob, feathers, pumpkins, etc. on a table for science exploration.

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I am thankful for...

Have the children draw what and whom they are thankful for throughout this Preschool Thanksgiving Theme. Write down their descriptions to display or send home as well.

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