Last year, we had so much fun checking off the items on our Christmas Bucket List for the Classroom that we decided to create one for Thanksgiving and extend the fun of the holiday season! Here’s what we plan to do in our classroom over the next few weeks:
1. Have a Thanksgiving feast together. This can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. You could have everyone bring in food and supplies for a classroom potluck or just bring your lunches and sit and eat together. Bring in some pies for dessert (bake one, grab one at Trader Joe’s, or have parent volunteers donate one), encourage everyone to share what they’re thankful for, and enjoy the time with your kiddos – they’ll be sure to remember this for a long time to come!
2. Write gratitude notes! Use a dry erase marker and write each student a note on their desk saying something about them that you are grateful for! Teach multiple classes a day and don’t have time to write on their desks? Write your gratitude notes on post-its and simply place them on each student’s desk while they’re working! This gratitude act goes a long way in making kids feel appreciated and in modeling acts of kindness.
3. Get silly! Our Thanksgiving gatherings always include some sort of family game. Why not bring it to the classroom? Setting aside a half hour in our schedules to let loose and have some fun with our kids creates a community atmosphere where you’ll see your students in a new light and may have a totally new appreciation for them! Here are some ideas to get you started: play whole-class charades, organize a flag football game, or play apples-to-apples (affiliate link)!
4. Have a faculty “friends-giving” at work. Put a sign-up sheet in the faculty room, and see if there are any volunteers to bring in a dish for a shared lunch! No time? Have everyone throw in a few bucks and order some food! It’s the perfect time to appreciate your wonderful work colleagues! After all, they keep us sane when things get a just a teeny-bit busy at school!
Let us know if you try any of these ideas or have something to add to the list that we should try in our classroom! We hope you have a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving with your families and friends!
Check out these other fun holiday ideas for your classroom!
Four ELA Thanksgiving Activities
Christmas Classroom Bucket List
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