November is here and it’s passing by just as quickly as it came! The days are shorter, it gets darker sooner and with the Thanksgiving holiday it’s a very short month for the kids. Continue reading for Thanksgiving Activities for Kindergarten and First Grade!
Usually we spend November discussing Veterans Day, Turkeys and Thankfulness. Thanksgiving is always such a fun time of the year for my students. There are so many great books, crafts, writing activities, and discussion for this time of year! Keep reading to learn about some of the activities I do with my kindergarteners during this time of the year.
BOOKS
As soon as November hits I change all of our Halloween and Fall books for books about Turkeys and Thanksgiving. The students always get excited when they come back the next day to find new books. We read books about being thankful and we spend some time discussing what exactly thankfulness looks and feels like.
If you’re wondering how I have so many Turkey and Thanksgiving books, I got them from eBay! I searched “Thanksgiving Book Lot for Children” and voilà! I was able to get a package of books for around 15-20 dollars as opposed to buying individual books on Amazon for 3-5 dollars each or hoping to stumble upon some at the Goodwill. These books will compliment your thanksgiving activities for kindergarten very well!
ANCHOR CHARTS
Anchor charts are my favorite things to use with my kindergartners, they are a great way to provide a visual representation of concepts being taught. Afterwards, we make an a list of all the things we are thankful for. I model for my students for by naming a few things I am thankful for. Then I have the students turn and talk with a partner and share what they are thankful for. Then I call on 15-16 students to share with the class what they are thankful for. There are so many different anchor charts that you can find on Pinterest that will go along with your Thanksgiving Activities for Kindergarten.
EMERGENT READERS
By this time of year I have a good number of students who are able to read simple sight words and use the pictures in books as clues to read new words. I created a mini book/emergent reader for my students to reinforce they skills they have learned so far this year.
My students loved reading and sharing what they were thankful for with this emergent reader. This booklet is 10-12 pages in length, with new vocabulary, predictable text patterns, picture supports as well as familiar sight words.
This emergent reader will go along great with your Thanksgiving unit. Use this emergent readers in guided reading, small groups, or send home to reinforce reading skills. There are both color and black & white copies!
If you’re interested in this emergent reader, click here!
WRITING
After we have read a few books about being thankful, we write about being thankful. By this point the children are clear regarding the definition of “thankfulness” and are able to state what they are thankful for.
I wanted to create a resource for my students that allowed them to share what they were thankful for so I created a collection of differentiated writing prompts that served this propose. These writing prompts are for students who are not yet writing as well as those who are writing independently without sentence starters. When the students began writing about what they were thankful for I displaced a page from the Thanksgiving Writing Prompts on the SmartBoard. The students looked at the pictures and turned and talked with a partner what they were most thankful for.
What I like about these writing prompts is that there is something for every student. The students are able to communicate what they are thankful for no matter what their ability. Take a look at the pictures below to view the differentiation.
Click here to view all the pages of this resource!
TURKEYS
We also do a unit on Turkeys, A Dab of Glue has a great resource that I like using, click here to check it out. In our classroom the students decorate their own turkey feathers and we make a turkey for our classroom. In the past I’ve sent the feather home as an activity for the parents and students to complete together but the feathers can also be decorated at school. I used butcher paper to make the turkey body and construction paper to make the face, then I laminated it so I can use it year after year. The turkey feathers are cut out from 18 by 12 inch construction paper. I love seeing each student’s designs!
TURKEY IN DISGUISE
My school does “Turkey in Disguise”, which is where the students are given a picture of a Turkey and they have to decorate the turkey so it does not look like a Turkey. This activity was sent home during Veterans day weekend as a family project. I can’t believe how creative all of my students were, they all turned out great!
And that’s pretty much everything we do! I’d love to know what you do in your classroom. Comment below and let me know what kind of activities you plan on doing with your students.
For more ideas and activities from our unit themes click here!
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