Last updated November 19 2025
Thanksgiving is a day to reflect with gratitude on the blessings of our lives. It’s one of the most beloved American holidays, celebrated by people of all religions and backgrounds, and ideal for incorporating into your curriculum.
However, our understanding of the day has changed over the years. While some of the following Thanksgiving lessons, activities, and games include familiar elements such as turkey and pumpkin pie, others inquire into the historical record and modern social perspectives, helping students gain a fuller, more authentic understanding.
Before diving into the following free Thanksgiving lessons, activities, and games, educators can get an overview of the changing way Thanksgiving is taught through the articles listed below under Thanksgiving Perspectives, Past and Present.
Thanksgiving Perspectives, Past and Present
The Wampanoags' Thanksgiving
Historian David J. Silverman’s essay delves into the Wampanoag side of the Thanksgiving story. What was the state of the Wampanoag nation when the Mayflower landed? What motivated the Wampanoag to create an alliance with the English settlers? This revealing examination from a historian’s perspective is ideal for high school students. Lesson idea: Before assigning the essay, ask your students to write a few sentences on what might have motivated the Wampanoag. Then have them read the essay and write about how their views may have changed.
Thanksgiving: Another Serving
What happened to relations between the Wampanoags and the European settlers? In a span of a single generation, they went from Thanksgiving comity to the bloody battles of King Philip's War. Historian and professor of Early American History at Harvard University Jill Lepore explains in this fascinating video hosted by The Gilder Lehrman Institute.
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.
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.
Best Free Thanksgiving Lessons and Activities
Thanksgiving Math Activities for Kids
Two engaging Thanksgiving-themed math activities include printable handouts and an exploration of math skills. Aimed at kids in grades preK-3, the Thanksgiving Coloring Activity combines arithmetic with coloring by number. For older students (grades 4-8), try the Thanksgiving graphing activity, in which a correctly plotted graph reveals a surprise message. Great fun!
Squanto's gift: A Thanksgiving science lesson
A hands-on Thanksgiving science lesson that demonstrates the importance of Patuxet tribe member Squanto (Tisquantum) to the early settlers. Ideal for grades preK-5, this lesson requires only simple materials, a bit of time and careful observations. An excellent introduction to the scientific method for younger students.
The First Thanksgiving Celebration Lesson Plan
A K-4 reading-based Thanksgiving lesson that teaches students about the lives of the Wampanoag people and their participation in the first Thanksgiving celebration. Includes key questions, extension activities and suggested reading.
Thanksgiving Music Activities
These five terrific Thanksgiving-related songs will have every kid in the classroom singing along. But there’s much more than just the joy of singing in these lessons from Beth’s Music Classroom. Included are tips for teaching music principles, activities and videos.
Thanksgiving Science Experiment
Perhaps more than any other American holiday, Thanksgiving celebrates the abundance and variety of delicious foods. And nothing makes food taste better than butter! This detailed butter in a jar experiment is perfect for teaching science with a Thanksgiving flavor. Includes chemistry discussion, photos, video, worksheets and printables.
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.
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.
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.
Celebration, Conflict and Contemplation: Digital Thanksgiving Activities and Lesson Plans for Students
Ideal for distance or hybrid learning, these free preK-12 digital Thanksgiving lessons include thought-provoking writing assignments, recipe-based math lessons, humorous turkey hijinks, and a look at the modern day lives of the Wampanoag People.
Thanksgiving Directed Drawings
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.
Turkey Templates for Thanksgiving Creativity and Writing
Education technology expert and Google app guru Eric Curts shares Google Slides templates for building and disguising a turkey. Use it as a fun art lesson, or as a jumping-off point into a discussion about empathy with animals.
Best Free Thanksgiving Games and Interactives
PBS Kids: An Ellwood City Thanksgiving
Join beloved cartoon character Arthur the aardvark as he visits various friends and relatives for Thanksgiving, and learns about different ways of celebrating the holiday. This interactive game allows kids to select whom to visit, participate in the meal and acknowledge the role of Indigenous people. Options in this high quality game include closed captions, music, sound effects and dialog.
Plimoth Patuxet Museums: Activities and Games
Living like people of the 17th century is an excellent way to learn social history. Talk like a pilgrim, cook 17th-century food with modern recipes, and ponder 11 tricky riddles. Fun for students and teachers alike.
6 fun Thanksgiving-themed games for young learners
If you’ve never tried ABCYa games, here’s the perfect opportunity. High-quality digital games are accompanied by an amusing soundtrack that only adds to the fun. Best of all, five out of these six games are CCSS-aligned. Try the Thanksgiving printables too!
You Are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving
A great way for students to investigate and learn a more nuanced history about Thanksgiving, from both the Indigenous and Colonial perspectives.
