Celebrate Thanksgiving with Learning & Gratitude

We’re excited to bring families and students together this Thanksgiving season with fun, meaningful, and educational resources that tie into our theme of gratitude, community, history, and learning. Below are curated materials perfect for at home, across K-8 levels.

Thanksgiving Art, Food, Crafts, and Music!

• Braintree Academy Thankful Turkey Craft: Create your very own Thanksgiving “Thankful” turkey by coloring, cutting, and gluing it together.

  Don’t forget to write what you are THANKFUL for on the feathers!

• Braintree Academy Thanksgiving is a Word in Action: Give a note to someone you are thankful for!

• Directed drawings are a great way for kids to gain basic drawing skills and confidence while creating their own artwork. Whether apple pie, cooked turkey, Happy Thanksgiving message, or cartoon turkey, these free and fun video drawing lessons are perfect for both classroom and remote learning.

• Google Slides "Disguise a turkey!" In this Google Slides template the students try to disguise their turkey so he will be safe from becoming the Thanksgiving Day dinner. They do this by copying and pasting masks, costumes, hats, accessories, and shoes onto their turkey. Then they write a story about their disguised turkey and how it will stay safe.

• “65 Best Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids of All Ages” From Good Housekeeping — a big collection of kid-friendly crafts: turkey made from pine cones, felt wreaths, place settings, suncatchers, etc.

  • A good “inspiration bank” you can pull ideas from.

  • Some craft ideas can be scaled up for middle school by adding design or engineering challenges.

• From breakfast to dessert, we’ve got it covered with this complete collection of cute and creative Thanksgiving recipes for kids!

Read-Aloud YouTube Videos

Here are some excellent read-alouds that capture the Thanksgiving spirit:

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey ‑ Read Aloud – A silly, fun read-aloud of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey.

Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes (Read Aloud) – A read-aloud of Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes

The Great Turkey Race – Thanksgiving Kids Books Read Aloud – A lively read of The Great Turkey Race.

These make terrific family-time or class read-alouds, especially when paired with discussion questions like: “What does the turkey want? What does it mean to be thankful?”

Additional Books

• Links to book lists focusing on respectful history of Indigenous peoples and gratitude themes. Everyday Reading.

• Thanksgiving can be a difficult concept for young kids to understand. What does it mean to be thankful? Why are we particularly grateful during this time of year? For what should they be thankful for? Sometimes the best way to explain these concepts to kids is with books. Check out these books to help educate your kids on why being thankful is so important. Books to Inspire Gratitude

Educational Videos

These videos provide background and reflection opportunities:

• History of Thanksgiving For Kids – A kid-friendly overview of how Thanksgiving became a holiday.

• Being Thankful | GRATITUDE ❤️ Lesson for Kids – A video that focuses on gratitude and thankfulness, ideal for younger learners.

• The First Thanksgiving | History | Holidays | Little Fox – Animated story of the first Thanksgiving for children.

• The first Thanksgiving wasn't the same holiday we celebrate today (PBS Episodes)

  

  
  

• An Arthur Thanksgiving Video Arthur and his family are getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Use these for family time discussions: What do you think they were thankful for? How do we show thanksgiving today?

Games & Interactive Websites

Making learning active and digital is fun! Consider these:

• ABCya! has Thanksgiving‐themed games like a crossword puzzle for kids to test vocabulary around the holiday.

• Digital activity ideas for classroom or home: interactive turkey escape rooms, gratitude activities using Google Slides/Seesaw.

• Virtual/remote friendly Thanksgiving games (ideal for family gatherings or remote learning). teambuilding.com

• Arthur - An Elwood City Thanksgiving | PBS KIDS Celebrate Thanksgiving in Elwood City with Arthur and his friends.

• 23 Free Printable Thanksgiving Games On this page I am sharing fun and interesting 23 Free Printable Thanksgiving Games.

Thanksgiving Resources for older students

Smithsonian Institution — “The ‘First Thanksgiving’: How Can We Tell a Better Story?”

• The Smithsonian explores the traditional story of the 1621 harvest feast, and then guides students through questioning how that narrative has been told (and what’s missing) — especially from the perspective of the Wampanoag people. National Museum of the American Indian. It includes inquiry questions, primary source prompts, and a “summative task” designed for older students to engage in deeper analysis.

Teacher Toolkit - Plimoth Patuxet Museum

• Plimoth Patuxet Museum Teacher Toolkit

A five-unit curriculum that takes a deep dive into the first Thanksgiving. The standards-aligned lessons comprise sections on the Patuxet people, leadership and diplomacy, the crucial role of corn, the celebration as a historical event, and ways to think about giving thanks. Included in this comprehensive resource are vocabulary, themes, historical notes, and bibliography.

Lesson plan: After helping Pilgrims, today's Wampanoag tribe fight for their ancestral lands

• A lesson for grades 6-12 that teaches about the Wampanoag people of today in the context of their historical role at the first Thanksgiving. Choose from among topics such as Thanksgiving history as told by the Wampanoag, land disputes, and gambling, then ask the provided questions. Lesson available as a Google Doc. Note the correct link for the first item under “Additional Resources.”

Thanksgiving Perspectives, Past and Present Articles & More

• Time: The Way American Kids Are Learning About the “First Thanksgiving” Is Changing Should we be teaching students myth or history? This excellent article is a great starting point for teachers to learn the truth, the myths, and the historical interpretations surrounding the first Thanksgiving. Best to read before planning your lesson.

• Teaching the Real Story of the "First Thanksgiving" Education World explores the stereotypes, myths, and half-truths that pervade our Thanksgiving lore. The article also extends seven simple, practical, and positive strategies for teaching Thanksgiving while honoring both the history and cultural practices of the holiday.

• Native educators say Thanksgiving lessons can be accurate, respectful, and fun If you’re wondering whether there’s anything suitable left to teach about Thanksgiving, don’t despair. This article details simple steps you can take right now to make your Thanksgiving lessons accurate and inclusive.

What is the Great Listen?

The Great Listen encourages people of all ages to create an oral history of our times by recording an interview with an elder, mentor, friend, or someone they admire. This year, we invite you to join the annual Great Thanksgiving Listen — an opportunity for people to honor someone in their lives by preserving their story for future generations.

StoryCorps: The Great Thanksgiving Listen The nonprofit organization Storycorps has been capturing the voices and stories of Americans since 2003. Storycorps’ Great Thanksgiving Listen invites young people to take part in this oral history project by recording an interview with an elder, mentor, friend, or anyone they admire. The Educator Toolkit provides step-by-step guidance on every aspect of the Great Thanksgiving Listen and includes printable handouts for students.

🧡 Wrapping Up with Gratitude

As Thanksgiving approaches, we’re reminded that learning doesn’t just happen in virtual classrooms—it happens around the dinner table, in family conversations, and through moments of creativity and reflection. Whether your family chooses to explore the history of the holiday, dive into a new book, play an educational game, or create a handmade craft together, we hope these activities inspire gratitude and connection.

This season, take time to pause, give thanks, and celebrate the people and experiences that make your learning journey special. From all of us at Braintree Academy, we’re thankful for our amazing families and the joy you bring to our community.

Happy Thanksgiving from Braintree Academy 🍂