Thanksgiving Lessons for Kids

Updated August 23, 2019
Three generations of Black women cooking in kitchen

Most kids learn the traditional Thanksgiving lessons in school and often associate Thanksgiving with Pilgrims, Indians, and of course, food. However, to understand what Thanksgiving is about, it is important to understand what happened at the first Thanksgiving and learn details about the finer points of the holiday. Click on the lesson image to open the PDF file, download, and print. If you need specific directions for your browser, there is a guide for working with Adobe printables.

The First Thanksgiving Dinner

The First Thanksgiving Dinner is a complete lesson plan for grades one to three. The lesson explains what happened at the first Thanksgiving celebration. Students will learn what events led up to the first dinner and use printable plates and food to figure out how a modern Thanksgiving dinner differs from the first dinner. A resource list is included to help you prepare for your discussion of the first Thanksgiving. You'll find links to websites, books to read to the class and video suggestions.

First Thanksgiving Dinner Lesson
First Thanksgiving Dinner Lesson

First Thanksgiving Myth or Truth Race

The First Thanksgiving Myth or Truth Race gets your students up and moving and engages them in learning more about what the first Thanksgiving was like. This lesson plan is best suited for grades six and up. The details are a bit more in-depth than lessons for younger grades, even touching on how the Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower and the lesson plan also includes blank cards so that you can create questions tailored to your unit of study. Other topics in this lesson include:

  • Suffering on the voyage to the New World
  • How the settlers struggled after arriving
  • What was eaten at the first feast
  • Lifestyle of the Wampanoag and how they helped the settlers survive
First Thanksgiving Myth or Truth Lesson
First Thanksgiving Myth or Truth Lesson

Zany Turkey Trivia

Grades two and up will have a lot of fun with this turkey trivia lesson plan. This is a great filler lesson when you have a bit of extra time in class, or to leave out for a substitute teacher. Homeschoolers will appreciate the science of learning more about wild turkeys. Students will learn facts they probably didn't know about turkeys, both domestic and wild, and complete a handout. These types of fun facts will stick with kids and make them more knowledgeable about this species of bird.

Turkey Trivia Lesson
Turkey Trivia Lesson

Thanksgiving Object Lesson: Then and Now

Kids in grades two and up will explore how tools and objects related to preparing a Thanksgiving dinner change over time. They'll explore tools used to hunt, gather, fish, and cook at the first Thanksgiving meal and tools used by people today. This activity engages the imagination and involves both writing and drawing skills.

Thanksgiving Object Lesson
Thanksgiving Object Lesson

Thankfulness Bible Lesson for Thanksgiving

Focus on thankfulness at home or in Sunday school Thanksgiving lessons with a Bible lesson including Christian Thanksgiving activities for children. Kids in grades three or higher will participate in a Bible scavenger hunt where they have to find the location of a Bible verse about thankfulness. Kids will then explore what they think each of these verses means and how they can apply this knowledge to their own lives. These ideas can be added to Thanksgiving prayers at the dinner table.

Thanksgiving Bible Scavenger Hunt Lesson
Thanksgiving Bible Scavenger Hunt Lesson

Fun Thanksgiving Lesson Activities for Kids

Whether you are a classroom teacher, Sunday school instructor, or a parent, you'll find lots of wonderful ideas to use with your kids. Thanksgiving activities for kids can include everything from cooking and crafts to games. While many of these lessons and activities are geared toward the Thanksgiving Day holiday, they can also be modified to use any time of the year.

Learn the True Meaning of Thanksgiving

Kids often fail to stop and count their blessings, but with some great activities centered around this special holiday, they can understand the true meaning of Thanksgiving Day. From learning about settlers' survival to turkeys to what was served at the first Thanksgiving meal, there's plenty to explore.

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Thanksgiving Lessons for Kids