Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an annual Canadian holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October. Many families have their own unique ways to celebrate Thanksgiving. One thing that often highlights Thanksgiving is the food. For some families, it is the turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potato, and pie. For others, it is the opportunity to gather with family, share and have a wonderful time together. 

Canadian Thanksgiving

In class, we read stories about being thankful and encourage students to share things they are grateful for. There are many stories online that our kindergarten students can definitely relate to. One of my favorite stories is A Spot of Thankfulness by Diane Alber. It is a great read-aloud that can engage students as they explore many talking points about thankfulness. 

For students who can write, a sentence starter after reading the book is:

"I am thankful for..."

Thanksgiving Craft Ideas

Many different Thanksgiving craft ideas and activities that require very little prep work are available to share with students. Here are a few that have been done by my kindergarten classes.

Thanksgiving Hand Turkey

There are many variations to this craft idea. 

Things I am Thankful For

For early writers, this incorporates writing simple words. 

"Thank you for Helping me grow hand." This incorporates painting.

Thankful Tree

If there is available space in the classroom, a thankful tree is a great idea for a corner display. Outside of a physical tree craft, a cut-out tree can be displayed on the bulletin board with leaves representing the things students are thankful for. 

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time for rich conversations with students during discussion sessions. When students are encouraged to talk about what they are thankful for, it helps them to be grateful for what they have. Oral communication is important in the kindergarten classroom as students learn to formulate sentences and make connections to the topic of discussion.