No matter what types of activities that you use to help teach preschoolers about Thanksgiving you still need to talk to them about the meaning of the holiday. When talking to preschoolers about Thanksgiving you will want to tell them the story behind Thanksgiving. You will also want to discuss with them the symbols that are used for Thanksgiving, why they are used, and the spirit of thankfulness that is associated with Thanksgiving.
Here are some activities that you can use to help teach your children the meaning of Thanksgiving.
Number one: Thanksgiving Sequencing Activity
With this activity you are going to need to have felt cut outs in the shapes of turkeys, Indian corn, pilgrims, Indians, and other symbols that are related to Thanksgiving. You want to have each of the symbols in a variety of sizes. For the activity, you can talk about what each symbol means as the children place the symbols in sequence from large to small or small to large.
Number two: Thanksgiving Matching Game
You can make your own cards or you can buy cards that have a variety of Thanksgiving symbols on them, make sure there is one pair of each symbol at least. You can use the cards to play memory if the children are old enough or you can allow the children to place them into pairs. While playing the game you can talk about what the various symbols stand for and why they are related to Thanksgiving.
Number three: Turkey Placemats
Get some construction paper that is about the same size as a placemat or cut the bigger construction paper to size. Using finger paint or tempera paint, you can have the child paint their hand. They can paint the palm of their hand brown and their thumbs to make the turkey’s body and head. They will need to paint each of their fingers a different color for the feathers. Once the paint has dried, you can have the kids decorate the placemats with miscellaneous items that you have lying around. You can laminate each placemat to make it last even longer.
Number four: Thanksgiving cards
Using construction paper, you can have children make a card for their family for Thanksgiving. You can use stamps that represent the different symbols of Thanksgiving; you can also use things you find in a nature walk. On the inside of the card, you will have the children write down why they love their families or you can have them include things that they are thankful for. Just remember to let the kids do the thinking, do not alter their thoughts because the card will mean more coming straight from a child’s heart, even if what they are thankful for is the big television that dad bought for video games.
Number five: Cornucopia Treat
The cornucopia is a big symbol for Thanksgiving, so you want to be sure to include it in the activities if possible. One thing that you can do is make a snack called a Cornucopia Treat. To do this you will need large sugar waffle ice cream cones, one for each kid. You will also need a large bag of trail mix, some M & M’s, and honey roasted peanuts. All you have to do is fill the waffle cone with the trial mix, M & M’s, and honey roasted peanuts. Once it has been filled use colored saran wrap to wrap the waffle cone securely, you don’t want the insides falling out. Tie the end of the waffle cone with a bow and it is finished and ready for you to eat or use to decorate.
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