Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and you may be looking for Thanksgiving homeschool activities and unit studies for the season. It’s a great idea to change things up around the holidays, so we’ll give you some great inspiration to get you started.
Plus, make sure you scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post. I’ve joined forces with over two dozen of my homeschool blogging friends for their best tips, activities, and Thanksgiving unit studies that you can try in your homeschool this year.
My posts contain affiliate links.
Thanksgiving Homeschool Activities
It’s great to be able to focus on specific seasons and holidays in our homeschools. And especially in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, your kids may not be super focused on their normal routine anyway. So in this post you’ll find great Thanksgiving homeschool activities, including books, audiobooks, crafts, unit studies, nature walks, art lessons, music lessons and more!
Why Thanksgiving? with Steve Deace
On episode 185 of the Homeschool with Moxie Podcast, we’ll talk with BlazeTV podcaster Steve Deace about his new children’s book, Why Thanksgiving?
The pilgrims also taught us to remember to celebrate God’s faithfulness and kindness. To celebrate all the good things God blesses us with, because all good things come from God.
These important lessons that we learn from the pilgrims are what makes America special. We can live in freedom if we live for God and remember His teachings.
From Why Thanksgiving?
Listen to an Audiobook about Thanksgiving
Jim Hodges Audiobooks is a lifesaver for homeschool moms! He has some great Thanksgiving titles that you should check out.
Mayflower Secret by Dave & Neta Jackson and narrated by Jim Hodges:
Stories of the Pilgrims – Beginning with Queen Anne’s visit to Scrooby Inn, Stories of the Pilgrims tells, in story form, the everyday life of the Pilgrims in England and Holland, of their voyage on the Mayflower, and their adventures in the New World. The Brewster children and other Pilgrim boys and girls are the center of interest. This is a wonderful recording for a family to listen to together in the weeks before Thanksgiving.
Read Alouds
No matter the age of your kids, one great activity to include in your seasonal homeschool flow are read alouds. This is a great time of year to slow down and enjoy a book together, especially if you don’t normally include read alouds regularly.
Of course, young children love read alouds. But have you tried it with your teens? It makes for great family time and you don’t have to read a Thanksgiving-themed book at all.
Think out of the box, especially for your teens. Is there a particular historical time they enjoy learning about? Go ahead and find a historical biography or historical fiction based in that period. Or maybe your kids are into fantasy. Dive into some great classics and enjoy the change of pace.
If you want to include more picture books in your homeschool, but don’t know where to start, check out Rabbit Trails curriculum.
Take your holiday studies down a rabbit trail with Rabbit Trails through Thanksgiving! Learn about the Squanto and Thanksgiving with the book The Thanksgiving Story, incorporate copy work, get hands on, and read some amazing Thanksgiving books this season!
Thanksgiving Word Puzzles & Games
All About Learning Press has this fun Thanksgiving Scramble – A Fun Make-a-Word Activity you can download for FREE!
Cooking and Baking
When we think of Thanksgiving, we likely think of food! So go with the natural flow of the season and include cooking and baking into your homeschool routine. Teach your kids how to make family favorites. Talk about the history behind our Thanksgiving meal. Let them help you prepare for the big day and decorate the table.
And speaking of Thanksgiving decor, you can download some cute Thanksgiving prints from our resource library. You could print them and use as Thanksgiving table place cards and write each person’s name on their card. Or have each person at your table write down their blessings, date it, and pull them out next year to read!
Nature Walk
The fall season provides a changing landscape in many places in the United States and Canada.
Take a page out of the classic fall school project and create a leaf collection with your kids! It’s a great season to collect colorful leaves. Press them between books and make a gorgeous fall learning scrapbook. Label the leaves and grab some tree identification books from the library to take on your walks.
Add some more nature learning with Gentle + Classical Nature Volume 1.
Gentle and Classical Nature Volume 1: Inland Waterways and Forests will help you understand Charlotte Mason’s methods as well as teach your children aged K-4th grade about environmental science. It also provides so much encouragement on your journey of nature studies! Check it out today, the Teacher’s Guide is 100% free!
Or, use A Gentle + Classical Autumn to teach your K-4 graders this season.
A Gentle + Classical Autumn is a 4-unit exploration into historical holidays celebrated (in the US) in October and November, alongside a celebration of the changing seasons and all that nature has in store for us during this magical time of year.
Art Projects
If you normally skip art projects in your homeschool, then the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons provide a great excuse to slow down a bit and make time for new activities.
Our very favorite art project source is Deep Space Sparkle. Her projects are very easy to follow and make even non-artsy kids and adults feel very accomplished!
You can search her art projects by subject, grade level, or technique.
Here are some additional art resources and curriculum to check out:
Fall Art Lessons from Masterpiece Society
Woven Pumpkin Paintings
I love these free tutorial from Masterpiece Society – Woven Pumpkin Paintings. It looks like a fun one to try with kids of all ages!
Autumn Watercolor Lessons
My fourth grader and I have loved the Watercolor Whimsies: Autumn Edition lessons from Masterpiece Society. Alisha will walk you through how to create all these cute and colorful scenes.
Fall Mixed Media Art Workshop
The Art of Fall: Mixed Media Workshop is a multi-project eCourse with detailed videos and step-by-step instructions of each project.
Each unique art piece reflects a different aspect of autumn – the migration of the monarch butterfly, fall flowers, the turning of the leaves, harvest time, woodland critters, Thanksgiving, autumn poetry and even a few delicious fall recipes!
You’ll get access to 20 different art project lessons!
Virtual Field Trips
You can even take some virtual field trips without leaving home, of course! Travel the world and learn about new places via virtual field trip links, or your geography-loving kids might love some Google Earth exploration time. One of my kids spent hours on Google Earth touring famous cities and landmarks in his free time. The slower days around the Thanksgiving holiday make this an ideal time to pursue some of these fun field trips.
Music
Some of you might be regularly including music appreciation or lessons into your homeschooling routine, but some of you aren’t. And that’s okay! But take advantage of the change of seasons and slower pace around the holidays to include some musical learning in your homeschool.
Here are some resources to get you started:
- Sampler Music Appreciation Course from Music in Our Homeschool
- K-2 Homeschool Music Lessons
- The Music Podcast for Kids
- How to Include Music Appreciation in Your Homeschool with SQUILT
Fall Music Lessons for Holidays & Special Days
Music in Our Homeschool has the perfect option for your elementary kids – Fall Music Lessons for Holidays & Special Days. You’ll get access to 12 music lessons, including one specifically for Thanksgiving.
Family History
The holidays provide a fabulous opportunity to dive into family history. What’s the background of your grandparents and great-grandparents? What historical events did they live through? Are there family stories you can research? Where did they live? Where did they work? Can you bring out the family photo albums and old videos? Maybe your kids would love to create a family tree. Every family has some amazing stories to tell. And every family has many things to be thankful for – this is a great season to pass on these family history treasures to your kids.
Unit Studies
Unit studies are short, focused lessons on specific topics. They usually encompass various subject and content areas. My favorite go-to source for unique and thorough unit studies is UnitStudy.com
Their Thanksgiving Download N Go® study would be perfect for this time of year!
Filled with 5 Adventure Quests for your K-4th grader, this new unit study is ready to let them explore the Pilgrims, the Mayflower, American history, and their voyage and move to the New World. The unit study comes with a companion lapbook, and provides a well-rounded look at the story of these brave people and how they overcame many trials with faith and determination.
Here are some additional unit study resources to check out:
Thanksgiving Ideas Round-Up
It’s hard to believe the holiday season is upon us. In just a few weeks, we will celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday here in America. In the meantime, there is quite a bit of learning to be done!
This week, I’m teaming up with some of my fellow homeschool bloggers to bring you some fantastic Thanksgiving homeschool activities, themed tips and resources. Be sure to check them all out below!
Teach Gratitude and Thanksgiving through Praise and Worship from In All You Do
Free Thanksgiving Coloring Pages and Activity Printables from Blessed Homeschool
Thanksgiving and Kids – Learning and Playing All Season Long from Hess UnAcademy
History Behind our Thanksgiving Traditions from Homeschool On the Range
Gratitude Journal for Kids from Homeschooling 4 Him
Thanksgiving Music Lesson with Thanksgiving Printable Set from Music in Our Homeschool
Five Thanksgiving Traditions That Bring Families Together from Geez, Gwen!
Free Native American Unit Study from With the Huddlestons
Thanksgiving Homeschool Resources for a Low-Prep, Mini Unit Study from Whole Child Homeschool
Being Grateful When You Don’t Feel Like It from Julie Naturally
Thanksgiving Morning Basket from Heart and Soul Homeschooling
Thankful Morning Time Plans from Everyday Graces Homeschool
Free Printable Games and Activities for a Fun Family Thanksgiving from The WOLFe Pack
4 Fall Traditions and A Sensory Look at the Season from Inside Our Normal
How to Homeschool During the Holidays Successfully from Some Call It Destiny
Thanksgiving Games: Spot the Difference from The Homeschool Cafe
Thanksgiving Theme Preschool Lesson Plans from Simple Living Mama
