Thanksgiving Kindergarten and Preschool Theme Lesson Plans

The emergent reader below could be made into a predictable chart as a follow-up to reading the book Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes.

The Thankful Book - an emergent reader printable book used for shared reading

In the links below you will find an emergent reader printable book called The Thankful Book. The book can be copied in both black and white or color and used for a shared reading experience. For information on shared reading click on the Reading Strategies link on the left hand side bar .

The Thankful Book an Emergent Reader Printable Book Color Copy

The Thankful Book an Emergent Reader Printable Book BW Copy

Predictable Chart

The pictures in the emergent readers above can be made into a predictable chart to model the reading process. The lines read as follows:

I am thankful for my mom.

I am thankful my dad.

I am thankful for my sister.

I am thankful for my grandpa.

I am thankful for my family.

I am thankful for playtime.

Iam thankful for reading time.

I am thankful for learning time.

I am thankful to eating time.

Thanksgiving Turkey - using a coffee filter and foot outline

Day 1

Children paint lines of brown, yellow and red from the centre of the coffee filter for the turkey's tail. Allow this to dry.

Note: This works better if you dilute liquid paint with water

Day 2

Have partners trace each others foot on brown construction paper and cut this out for the body of the turkey
Glue the body to the tail
Add the other features that are shown in the picture

Thanksgiving Poem and Turkey Hand Craft

Have partners paint each others hands with brown paint and place this on the poem in the following link.
add the other features using a felt
cut out the poem using pinking shears and glue it onto construction paper (optional)

Thanksgiving Poem

Thankful For Turkey

paint the turkey outline brown using water color paints or dilute the liquid paint slightly (outline and tail in the members' area) paint the rectangle slips used for the tail
Allow these to dry
Glue the tail to the body and glue onto a background
color the other features as shown in the photo
Have the chldren dictate what they are thankful for to an adult helper or teacher (this is optional)

Thankgiving Placemat

Have pairs of children help each other paint their hands using their favorite color
place these onto a piece of paper
decorate the placemat
Children dictate to an adult helper or teacher what they are thankful for and this is added to the placemat
Cut out the project using pinking shears and glue this onto construction paper

Colorful Turkey Tail Thanksgiving Craft

Copy the turkey outline on to cardstock found in the members' area.
Have children paint the turkey and add strips of construction paper to make the tail, as displayed in the photograph.

Cornucopia Thanksgiving Craft

In the link below you will find a template of a cornucopia.

Have the children paint the cornucopia with watercolors
Children dictate what they are thankful for and this glued on.
Surround their dictation with pictures of food. These pictures can be cut from supermarket advertisements or they can be found in the members' area.

Cornucopia Template

Paper or Lunch Bag Turkey

Children color the open end of a paper bag (lunch bag) and then cut the edges for the tail.
Stuff the bag with newspaper for the body, leaving room for the tail
Wrap an elastic around the end of the tail
In the members' area you will find the template for the head, neck and feet of the turkey. Directions are included on the template.