November is here and the holiday season is approaching fast! I have always found that Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to blend learning with seasonal fun in my classroom. I use this time of year as an opportunity to teach important lessons on gratitude, history, and community while keeping my students engaged with creative activities. Here are six Thanksgiving-themed classroom ideas perfect for 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade teachers that your students will love!

1. Learn About Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a beloved holiday tradition, and it’s also a fun way to incorporate history, creativity, and technology into your lessons. Start by sharing a brief history of the parade with your students, explaining its origins in the 1920s and how it has become a central part of Thanksgiving celebrations. You can use videos or photos of past parades to make it more engaging.

To bring the learning to life, have students design their own Thanksgiving parade balloon! They can sketch out their balloon ideas, decide on the theme, and write a short description explaining why their balloon should be included in the parade. This activity encourages creativity, and you can even tie it into art or writing standards.

This is also a great time to incorporate the picture book Balloons Over Broadway as a read aloud with your big kids!! My kids love this book so much and it makes it so easy to sneak in some social studies instruction! For this and other great November picture books to read, make sure to check out my Thanksgiving Picture Books post.

2. Create a Classroom Thankful Banner

Fostering a spirit of gratitude is key during Thanksgiving, and a classroom thankful banner is a great way to get your students thinking about what they appreciate. Start by giving each student a leaf-shaped cutout or small piece of construction paper. Ask them to write something they are thankful for on their leaf and decorate it.

As students complete their leaves, add them to a large banner or string them together to create a “thankful garland” across the room. This simple yet powerful visual will remind students of all the good things they have in their lives, and the collaborative nature of the project will enhance your classroom community.

3. Plan a Classroom Food Drive

Thanksgiving is a time for giving, and planning a classroom food drive is an excellent way to teach students about the importance of helping others. Work with your class to organize a food drive where students can collect non-perishable items to donate to a local food bank or shelter.

This project can be integrated with lessons on community service, empathy, and economics. You can involve students in planning every step—from creating flyers to tracking how many items have been collected. This is a meaningful way to demonstrate the value of giving back and can serve as an excellent hands-on learning experience about community outreach.

4. Complete a Thankfulness Write the Room Activity

Get your students moving while practicing their writing skills with a Thankfulness Write the Room Activity. Set up various gratitude-related writing prompts around the classroom, such as:

• “Write about a person you are thankful for.”
• “Describe a place that makes you feel grateful.”
• “What is one experience you are thankful for?”

Students can rotate around the room, stopping at each station to write their responses. This activity not only encourages movement and engagement but also reinforces gratitude, writing skills, and creative thinking. You can also have students share their favorite responses afterward for a classroom discussion on thankfulness.

5. Design a Thanksgiving Table STEM Challenge

A Thanksgiving-themed STEM design challenge can blend engineering, creativity, and teamwork with holiday fun! Present students with the challenge of designing a Thanksgiving table using materials such as popsicle sticks, string, paper, and tape. The table must be able to hold a certain number of items, such as small plastic cups or paper plates, without collapsing.

This activity encourages students to think critically and problem-solve as they design and test their creations. Not only does it integrate STEM skills, but it also ties in with the Thanksgiving theme by focusing on the idea of setting a holiday table.

6. Thanksgiving-Themed Puzzles and Brain Teasers

My kids LOVE puzzles! If you want a fun and challenging activity, incorporate Thanksgiving-themed puzzles and brain teasers. These can range from crossword puzzles and word searches to logic puzzles and math challenges, all with a Thanksgiving twist. For example, students could solve riddles about turkeys, pumpkins, and pilgrims or work on a math puzzle that involves figuring out how many pies are needed for a Thanksgiving feast.These types of puzzles are perfect for early finishers, morning work, or a brain break during your Thanksgiving lessons. They help build critical thinking skills while keeping the classroom focused on the holiday theme.

Any of these six Thanksgiving classroom ideas will help you make this November both fun and educational for your 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade students. I have loved incorporating all of them into my classroom over the years! I know you will too! Incorporate these activities into your lesson plans, and you’ll create lasting memories for your students this Thanksgiving season.

Save These Ideas for Later

Mae sure to click on the PIN link below and save these ideas to one of your favorite Pinterest Boards. This will make them so easy for you to refer back to each year when you are planning your Thanksgiving lessons! Also, be sure to grab the free Thanksgiving Parade: Behind the Scenes reading comprehension passage I have included! It is my gift to you this November! Wishing you a wonderful month full of happy memories!