Thanksgiving Resources for Your Homeschool

Looking for Thanksgiving resources for your homeschool? I’ve found ten great options to help you explore the holiday with your kids.

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Some of these Thanksgiving resources are made to last for a couple of days, while some are designed to use throughout the month of November.  Better yet, some of these resources are better used here and there as needed in your homeschool plans.

Whether you’ve got an entire month, a few days, or only a few hours to devote to the holiday, hopefully you’ll find something to help your family learn about and celebrate Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Resources for Your Homeschool

1. Thanksgiving on Thursday

I love using Magic Tree House books to sneak learning into my kids’ reading time. Not surprisingly, Thanksgiving on Thursday and the non-fiction Pilgrims Fact Tracker are great for teaching kids about Thanksgiving.

The great thing about these books is that they can be used as a family read-aloud or as the foundation of a Thanksgiving unit study.

While you’re at it, be sure to grab the free Thanksgiving activity ideas from the Magic Tree House site. These, combined with the books, make a well-rounded Thanksgiving study!

(Note: to access the Magic Tree House freebies, you’ll need to enter your birthdate and then scroll through the Magic Tree House books until you find the printables liststed for Thanksgiving on Thursday.)

2. Picture Books

Picture books are a great way to teach younger children about holidays. Here are some reading choices that will help with teaching the origins of Thanksgiving:

• It’s Not About You, Mrs. Turkey (Learn more about this one here.)
• The Story of the Pilgrims
• The Very First Thanksgiving
• Sarah Morton’s Day
• Samuel Eaton’s Day
• Squanto’s Journey

Looking for some just for fun Thanksgiving books? You’ll want to add some of these Thanksgiving books for kids to your cart or library list.

3. Thanksgiving Books for Older Kids

Picture books make great Thanksgiving resources for younger kids, but older kids may want something a bit more challenging. Here are some options to consider:

• What Was the First Thanksgiving? 
• Dear America: A Journey to the New World
• If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620
• The Journal of Jasper Jonathan Pierce, A Pilgrim Boy

4. Turkey-themed Unit Study

Turkeys are an undeniable part of Thanksgiving, so why not add them to your learning lineup?

In particular, The Waldock Way has a fun (and FREE) Turkey Unit Study that makes it easy to learn about this Thanksgiving superstar. They also have a Thanksgiving Fun Pack if you’re looking to add some gameschooling to your Thanksgiving homeschool plans.

5. TV Shows/Documentaries

Want to include Thanksgiving into your TV time? Here are some good viewing options to help you homeschool through the Thanksgiving holiday:

• Reading Rainbow: Giving Thanks* (Season 2, Episode 4)
• American Experience: The Pilgrims 
• William Bradford: Inspiring Animated Heroes
• Squanto and the First Thanksgiving
• Charlie Brown Mayflower Voyagers (Episode 1 in the series)
• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

*This one is currently available for rent and free streaming through Amazon Prime Video. Not a Prime member? A 30-Day Free Trial is a great way to see if it’s a good match for your family.

6. Thanksgiving Art

Don’t forget to include art in your Thanksgiving learning!  You can find easy-to-implement ideas from Art for Kids Hub, chalk pastel projects from Hodgepodge, and lots of great fall and Thanksgiving projects through the Art of Fall Mixed Media Workshop.

Need some fall art ideas that aren’t Thanksgiving-specific? Don’t miss these Fantastically Fun Fall Art Projects.  We’ve had a great time working through them!

7. SQUILT’s Classical Music Fall Playlist

Want to incorporate music into your Thanksgiving homeschool plans? I can’t think of a better place to turn than this Classical Music Fall Playlist from SQUILT.  It includes video links for five musical pieces and, better yet, a download link for an entire SQUILT lesson for one of the pieces.

Not familiar with SQUILT? SQUILT is an open and go approach to music appreciation that teaches students to listen for musical elements.  If you want to include music appreciation in your homeschool but aren’t sure where to start, you don’t want to miss this curriculum.

8. Thanksgiving Notebooking Pages

These free Thanksgiving notebooking pages are a great way to document all of your Thanksgiving-related learning. The pack includes lots of pages with plenty of room for writing and drawing.

I especially like using these for Thanksgiving copywork. I simply print a few pages, choose a scripture or hymn for my kids to copy, and we’re all set. :)

9. Thanksgiving Resources from Library of Congress

There are lots of historical documents and images available for viewing from the Library of Congress archives. These, along with the free teachers guide, are helpful for understanding how the celebration of Thanksgiving started and how it’s evolved over time.

Additionally, this self-paced History of Thanksgiving activity from PBS Learning Media would make a great compliment to the Library of Congress Thanksgiving resources.

10. Thankfulness Activities

The history of Thanksgiving is important, but what does it matter if we don’t have thankfulness in our hearts?

[socialpug_tweet tweet=”The history of #Thanksgiving is important, but thankfulness in our hearts matters more. #ihsnet” display_tweet=”The history of #Thanksgiving is important, but thankfulness in our hearts matters more. #ihsnet”]

We can know the facts and quote the trivia, but the heart of holiday is giving thanks for the abundant blessings we have. That’s why I love incorporating thankfulness activities into our homeschool and family time, especially during the month of November.

There are lots of great activities out there to do, but my favorites are all listed here: Count Your Blessings – Thanksgiving Activities for Families.

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It’s your turn now: what are your favorite Thanksgiving resources for homeschool? Share them in the comments below so I can check them out!