These Thanksgiving circle time activities for preschool bring together songs, picture books, gratitude conversations, turkey crafts, and a pretend feast. Over five days, children explore what it means to feel thankful, practice sharing, learn about turkeys, and prepare a meal through pretend play. My Preschool Circle Time Thanksgiving packet connects each day’s discussion and suggested read-aloud with a related activity. Follow the five-day sequence, or choose the experiences that suit your preschool, Pre-K, or kindergarten group.
Free Thanksgiving Printable Sample
Try a free sample from my Thanksgiving Circle Time packet with your preschool or kindergarten group! It’s a simple way to explore the resource before planning your full week of songs, stories, crafts, and activities.
Planning Thanksgiving Circle Time Activities for Preschool
You can introduce the day’s theme with a short conversation, a song verse, or a picture prompt. Read the suggested book during circle time or at another story time, then offer the craft and optional printables during small groups or centers.
There is no need to complete every activity in one sitting. Choose a manageable amount for your group and return to favorite songs, books, and materials throughout the week.
| Day | Theme | Suggested book | Main follow-up activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What Is Thanksgiving? | Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland | Handprint turkey keepsake |
| 2 | Being Thankful | Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes | Thankful turkey craft |
| 3 | Sharing and Giving | Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson | Friendship bracelet |
| 4 | Learning About Turkeys | Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano | Turkey headband |
| 5 | Thanksgiving Feast Celebration | Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell | Pretend Thanksgiving feast |
Before the week begins, gather the books, choose your printables, and prepare the song props. You will also need familiar classroom supplies such as crayons, paint, scissors, glue, paper plates, and bracelet materials. Precut pieces where children need help, and keep each day’s materials together.
The picture books are suggested read-alouds to borrow or purchase separately. They are not included in the printable packet.
A Thanksgiving Circle Time Song with Picture Props
“Thankful Thanksgiving” is sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” The packet includes a song poster, five verse cards, and matching picture props.
Introduce the verse that matches each day’s theme. The repeated lines give children familiar words to return to, while the middle lines connect with thankfulness, sharing, turkeys, or gathering for a meal.
Attach the picture props to popsicle sticks so they are easy to hold up. Invite children to help display a prop, copy an action, or join in with the words they know. On the turkey day, add a little waddling to the song!
Day 1 Introducing Thanksgiving at Preschool Circle Time
Begin with something children can connect to: the people, places, and everyday experiences they appreciate.
For families who celebrate Thanksgiving, the holiday can be a time to gather, share a meal, and give thanks. Invite children to talk about their own experiences, while leaving room for families who celebrate differently or do not celebrate the holiday.
Read Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland. Use the I Am Thankful! poster to support a conversation about things children appreciate.
You might ask:
- Who helps you during the day?
- What is something you enjoy doing?
- What would you like to say thank you for today?
Children can answer with a word, point to a picture, or tell you an idea to write down.
Make a Handprint Turkey Keepsake
After the discussion, invite children to create a handprint turkey on the keepsake printable. Use one paint color or several, then add the turkey’s details once the paint dries.
The poem makes this a sweet piece to send home. You can also record a child’s own words about someone or something they appreciate.
For another small-group activity, offer Matching Thanksgiving Shadows. Encourage children to look at the outlines and explain what helped them find each match.
Day 2 Thanksgiving Gratitude Activities for Preschool
Read Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes and continue exploring the things children appreciate. Invite them to notice both people and everyday experiences: playing with a friend, spending time with a pet, or enjoying a favorite story.
Create a Thankful Turkey
The thankful turkey craft gives children a place to draw or write their ideas on five colorful feathers.
Younger children can draw simple pictures or dictate their words to an adult. Children who are ready can add labels or short phrases. Their own ideas and marks make each turkey personal.
Display the finished turkeys together, or invite children to share one feather with the group.
For follow-up activities, use Thankful Animals for picture matching and Setting the Table for sequencing. Talk through the table-setting pictures using “first,” “next,” and “last.”
Day 3 Sharing Activities for Thanksgiving Circle Time
Read Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson, then talk about ways friends can care for one another. Children might suggest helping someone pick up spilled crayons, offering a turn, or making a gift.
Choose one small act of kindness for the group to practice during the day.
Make a Friendship Bracelet
Invite children to choose beads and thread a bracelet for a friend or family member. They can explore colors freely or try a repeating pattern.
Attach the printable “So Very Thankful for You” tag, then help children think of a few words to say when they give their gift.
Use beads appropriate for your group and supervise the threading activity. An adult can help secure the finished bracelets.
The Sharing Thanksgiving Cookies printable offers another way to explore sharing. Children distribute ten paper cookies between two children, then count to check that each has five.
For a drawing activity, offer Draw a Turkey. Children can follow the picture steps and add their own details to the finished turkey.
Day 4 Turkey Activities for Preschool Circle Time
Add new vocabulary to your Thanksgiving circle time activities for preschool with the Parts of a Turkey poster. Introduce words such as feathers, beak, wings, and wattle, then invite children to point to the features you name and describe what they notice.
Then read Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano. Talk about the disguises in the story and ask children what disguise they would choose for Turkey.
Make a Turkey Headband
Children can assemble their turkey headbands with a face and colorful feathers. Help adjust the bands to fit, then invite everyone to join a turkey dance parade.
Return to the turkey verse of “Thankful Thanksgiving” and let children waddle along while wearing their creations.
Continue the theme with Turkey Number Match, which covers numbers 1–10. Offer a smaller selection first if needed, and encourage children to count each group before choosing a numeral.
The Turkeys in Disguise matching activity also connects with the day’s read-aloud.
Day 5 Thanksgiving Feast Celebration
Finish the week with a pretend meal that brings together sharing, food vocabulary, and taking turns.
Read Feast for 10 by Cathryn Falwell. This counting book about a family preparing a meal offers a useful starting point for talking about shopping, cooking, and eating together.
Use the Thanksgiving Food poster to name familiar foods and introduce less familiar ones. Invite children to share foods their own families enjoy, including foods that are not pictured.
Prepare a Pretend Thanksgiving Feast
Set out the printable food pieces, paper plates, and serving trays. Children can choose foods, arrange a meal, and take turns serving one another. Stuffed animals can join as guests, too!
Leave the pieces loose for repeated dramatic play, or offer glue so children can make a paper plate meal to display.
Model phrases such as “Would you like some?” and “Thank you for passing that.” The activity gives children a reason to use these words as they play.
Add Thanksgiving Math Activities
The Pumpkin Pie Shape Match activity invites children to match whipped cream pieces to pie slices by shape. Name the shapes together and talk about their sides and corners.
With Thanksgiving Dinner Order by Size, children compare the pictures and arrange them from smallest to largest.
Printable Thanksgiving Circle Time Activities for Preschool
The printable resource brings the week’s plans and supporting materials together:
- Five daily lesson plans and a week-at-a-glance overview
- Suggested read-alouds with discussion prompts
- The “Thankful Thanksgiving” song poster, five verse cards, and picture props
- I Am Thankful!, Parts of a Turkey, and Thanksgiving Food posters
- Handprint keepsake pages, thankful turkey templates, bracelet gift tags, turkey headband pieces, and pretend feast printables
- Follow-up activities for matching, counting, sequencing, drawing, shapes, and size comparison
Use these Thanksgiving circle time activities for preschool to plan a week of stories, songs, crafts, and pretend play. Choose the activities that fit your children’s interests and learning needs, and offer the follow-up printables during small groups or centers.
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