Inside: Fun ideas for learning about Thanksgiving in your homeschool during the month of November.
As soon as November rolls around, our homeschool shifts gears. We still do math and language arts but we pause our regular science/ history curriculum and dive into all things Thanksgiving!
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This week, we pushed pause on our United States Constitution study (we’ll pick it back up in January!) and started our Thanksgiving Unit Study and Thanksgiving read aloud.
Thanksgiving Unit Study
November is one of my favorite months to slow down, add in some meaningful seasonal lessons, and focus on gratitude as a family.
Over the years we’ve done several different Thanksgiving studies. Including simply adding favorite Thanksgiving books to our regular school days.
For our Thanksgiving Unit Study this year we’re loosely following a few lessons from Beautiful Feet Books’ Early American History program (you can totally do the same study without the teacher guide).
If you are using the teacher guide, we are doing lessons 20-42.
This year we’re learning about:
- Pocahontas
- Jamestown
- Plymouth
- Squanto
We’re using picture books to explore these topics and pairing them with simple discussion questions from the teacher’s guide (or sometimes I just create my own).
I’m also adding in some extra activities like watching the Disney Pocahontas movie and comparing it to the real story of Pocahontas.
We are also using family search to do some family history (my husband’s family is connected to Pocahontas and some pilgrims on the mayflower.)
Thanksgiving Books Were Using
Here are the books we’re using (linked below on Amazon if you want to add them to your own Thanksgiving homeschool plans):
- Pocahontas by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire
- Jamestown a New World Adventure by James E. Knight
- Pilgrim Stories by Margaret Pumphrey
- If you Lived at the Time of Squanto by Anne Kamma
Some of these books we will read in a day and others we will spread over several days depending on length. As we read, we pause to talk about what we’re reading.
When we finish a book, we follow up with a short discussion or journal page. My kids love coloring or doing a little craft while they listen to me read.
We are using pages from the Beautiful Feet Books free resource pack for Early American History k-3 for coloring pages as the kids listen. (we are using pages 9-16 of the pdf).
Thanksgiving Read-Alouds for Homeschool Families
This month, we’re reading two different Thanksgiving-themed books together. One is our official read-aloud, and the other is a quick daily reader that goes perfectly with our history focus.
Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims by Rush Limbaugh
We’re listening to this one on Audible the narration is so good, and my kids love the humor and energy of Rush Revere and Liberty the talking horse! (Pro tip: Audible is offering a deal right now$0.99/month for 3 months.)
What Was the First Thanksgiving? by Joan Holub
This book gives a great overview of the Pilgrims, Native Americans, and how the first Thanksgiving came to be. It’s short, engaging, and perfect for elementary ages. (We might do this one as a family before bed but I’m not sure. We need to finish How to Train Your Dragon First.)
We listen or read together each day sometimes in the morning and other times in the afternoon. Often while the kids work on crafts, coloring pages or puzzles.
Reading together is one of my favorite parts of our homeschool day this time of year.
Hands-On Thanksgiving Activities for Homeschoolers
To keep things fun and creative while we learn about Thanksgiving, I’ve added several simple hands-on activities to our homeschool week. These are great for multiple ages and easy to set up! Many of them my kids do while we’re reading.
Here’s what we’ve been doing:
Thanksgiving Dot-to-Dot Pages
These are great for fine motor skills, number recognition, and quiet time while we listen to audiobooks.
Thanksgiving I-Spy Coloring Pages (Free Printable!)
My kids love these they’re part game, part coloring page. They help keep little hands busy while we talk about the story of the Pilgrims or gratitude.
There is an easy page with numbers already filled in and big pictures perfect for my toddler and preschooler and a more challenging page for my 3rd and 5th graders.
Scratch Art
We picked up a This nature themed scratch art pack, and the kids love revealing bright colors underneath. The leaves are the only really “fall” ones, but my kids love doing all the shapes, but this pack is more Thanksgiving focused.
Thanksgiving Color by Number Pages
A fun way to reinforce colors, numbers, and focus and the finished pictures look adorable hung up in our homeschool room!
Melting Beads (Perler Beads)
My kids create all kinds of things with these melting beads. Current favorites are K-pop Demon Hunters characters or items from Minecraft. But you could also do fun Thanksgiving themed crafts.
If you’re looking for easy Thanksgiving crafts for homeschoolers, any of these are a hit! You can also check out my Free Thanksgiving Printable Pack for Kids for more activity pages.
Thanksgiving Morning Time Ideas
Our morning time or devoional as we call it is always one of my favorite parts of homeschool, and this month it’s full of gratitude and Thanksgiving-themed fun.
Here’s what we’ve included in our November morning basket:
Thanksgiving Hymns
We’ve been learning and listening to hymns about gratitude and thankfulness. A few favorites:
- Count Your Blessings
- Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
- For the Beauty of the Earth
We play these during breakfast or while we clean up, and they set the perfect tone for our day.
Thanksgiving Poem Memorization
This year for the month of November we pick a Thanksgiving poem to memorize from The Homeschool Compass poetry free printables.
Thanksgiving Would You Rather Questions
These are always a hit! We do a few each morning for fun conversation starters and they usually get pulled out at dinner time too. You can grab our Free Thanksgiving Would You Rather Printable Cards here.
Thankful Tree
Every day, we add new leaves to our Thankful Tree. Each leaf has something we’re grateful for written on it. By the end of the month, it’s such a beautiful visual reminder of our blessings.
Thanksgiving Escape Room
This year, I’m extra excited because we’re adding something new…a Thanksgiving Escape Room!
It’s a themed educational activity where the kids have to solve clues, read, and think critically to “escape.” It ties in history, reading comprehension, and teamwork and I’m so excited about it.
The escape room is for ages 5-7 but I think all my kids will have fun with it (I’ll let you know how it goes).
Free & Easy Thanksgiving Homeschool Resources
Here are a few free Thanksgiving printables and homeschool ideas to make your month easier:
- Free Thanksgiving I-Spy Coloring Pages
- Free Thanksgiving Would You Rather Printable Cards
- Thanksgiving Color by Number Sheets
- Gratitude ABC’s
- Thanksgiving Joke Teller
Print them all and add them to your morning basket or unit study for quick, fun learning ideas.
Our Thanksgiving Homeschool Study
As we move through November, I’m reminded how special it is to homeschool during the holidays. We get to slow down, celebrate, and learn in ways that feel joyful (not rushed).
Whether you’re studying early American history, focusing on gratitude, or simply enjoying cozy read-alouds together, I hope this inspires you to make your Thanksgiving homeschool season memorable and meaningful.