Thanksgiving Morning Basket Ideas for Your Homeschool
Here are some ideas to fill a Thanksgiving morning basket for some holiday-inspired learning in your homeschool!
One of the most fun times to do a themed morning basket is during the holidays. It is a sweet way to learn something and celebrate a special time together as a family. There are so many things you can include besides books to round it out well.
If you’re new to morning baskets, you’ll want to read How and Why to Use a Morning Basket to Simplify your Homeschool while you’re here.
Thanksgiving Morning Basket Ideas
My daughters love crafty projects, so I always like to include things like these coffee filter turkeys or this turkey craft with free template for fun. You might even throw in some of these kids Thanksgiving jokes to share a laugh. These Thanksgiving gratitude kindness notes are another nice thing to include. Don’t be afraid to get creative with it!
Here is what I am putting in our Thanksgiving morning basket to cover our basic subjects. We’ll be using it throughout November. I hope it inspires you, too!
Science/History/Geography Book
My First Atlas: we use this to point out the area in the U.S. where the first Thanksgiving was celebrated, where the pilgrims began their journey, and the route they traveled.
Read Aloud
We’ve got three short read aloud books included in our Thanksgiving morning basket.
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
Even if your children are a little older they can still appreciate pretty picture books sometimes. I know I still love them myself! These three are classics that represent history accurately and memorably.
For more book ideas, be sure to read Favorite Thanksgiving Books for Kids.
If you have older children you might consider other books, but I think these picture books generally start some good discussions that can be appreciated by all ages. We own these three books so they have become a yearly tradition in our family, but we usually add to them with library books.
Game/Activity
We use Rory’s Story Cubes: Voyages for storytelling, as it just felt fitting with our adventurous voyaging pilgrim theme. If you haven’t used Rory’s Story Cubes before, imagine Mad Libs combined with fun creative storytelling. Stories can be funny or serious — it’s all up to you and the roll of the dice. Even reluctant readers and writers can enjoy this game.
Visuals
My younger girls still enjoy Toobs. They are great for little ones to use in a sensory bin or for dramatic play. Older ones can use them as a story starter for journaling, or drawing, or as part of a diorama display. We used Powhatan Indians and Jamestown Settlers. Not an exact match for Thanksgiving, but they get the idea across. Sometimes we have to improvise a little, right? I hope this doesn’t offend any history purists out there. Trust me, I have taught my daughters the historical differences between Jamestown and Plymouth.
I also added a pumpkin in so that we could talk about why pumpkins are considered a fall decoration (because fall is when pumpkin harvest is ready). As well as corn to spark discussion on the type of things that were likely at the first Thanksgiving.
Vocabulary Words
I wrote some words for the girls to either learn or refresh in their minds on 3×5 cards and we took turns looking them up in our dictionary. Some examples of words you could use are – baste, thankful, voyage, Puritan, colonists, plantation, waistcoat, gratitude, and tradition.
Journaling
We keep gratitude journals in our family. I believe it’s important to count our blessings all the time because it can make a difference in our overall attitudes. This doesn’t mean empty platitudes either. Sometimes we have to dig deep for this activity, but it’s worth it. We use the Everyday Gratitude journal I created last year.
Printable Resources
I’ve created several printable resources to use in a Thanksgiving morning basket and/or unit study:
Thanksgiving Alphabet A-Z Printable Booklet
Thanksgiving Color by Number Printables
All about Thanksgiving Lapbook
Fall Leaves Color by Number Printable Activities
Bible
I recommend this printable learning pack from The Crafty Classroom. We’ve used all of their resources and they are all great quality, affordable, and easy to use. They’re fun, too!
I hope these ideas inspire you to create a Thanksgiving morning basket this year!
You might also like to read these posts:
Gifts that Encourage a Heart of Gratitude and Giving
Why You Should Keep a Gratitude Journal
How to Cultivate a Heart of Gratitude in your Children
A Season of Gratitude and Giving
A Heart of Gratitude Devotional
Why We Need to Count our Blessings (Even When It’s Hard)
100+ Things to Put in a Morning Basket
What to Include in a Christmas Morning Basket
Favorite Thanksgiving Books for Kids
Even More Homeschool Thanksgiving Ideas
In just a few weeks, we will celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday here in America. In the meantime, there is quite a bit of learning to be done!
This week, I’m teaming up with some of my fellow homeschool bloggers to bring you some fantastic Thanksgiving themed tips and resources. Be sure to check them all out below!
Teach Gratitude and Thanksgiving through Praise and Worship from In All You Do
Use the Praise His Name! Thanksgiving Scripture Pack and these tips this month to encourage the entire family to be more grateful.
Free Thanksgiving Coloring Pages and Activity Printables from Blessed Homeschool
This free printable activity pack is a great supplement to any of your plans, plus get inspired with other fun (and easy!) ways to learn about the holiday.
Thanksgiving and Kids – Learning and Playing All Season Long from Hess UnAcademy
You’ll love this overall look at keeping learning alive while still having tons of fun during the month of November (and possibly into December!).
History Behind our Thanksgiving Traditions from Homeschool On the Range
We celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November to enjoy a traditional meal and to give thanks for life’s many blessings. But how did it all start? Find out in this History Behind our Thanksgiving Traditions.
Gratitude Journal for Kids from Homeschooling 4 Him
Did you know that teaching your kids how to use a gratitude journal can help them learn to be more thankful? Learn how in this post.
Thanksgiving Music Lesson with Thanksgiving Printable Set from Music in Our Homeschool
You’ll love this free Thanksgiving Music Lesson plus 28-page Big Pack of Thanksgiving Activity and Coloring Sheets!
Five Thanksgiving Traditions That Bring Families Together from Geez, Gwen!
Give these five Thanksgiving Traditions a try and bring your family closer together after the Thanksgiving meal is over and the dishes are done.
Free Native American Unit Study from With the Huddlestons
This Free Native American Unit Study includes EVERYthing you need for a full study with children of all ages and grades!
Thanksgiving Homeschool Resources for a Low-Prep, Mini Unit Study from Whole Child Homeschool
Everything you need for a no-stress, low-prep Thanksgiving week mini unit study for all the kids in your family.
Being Grateful When You Don’t Feel Like It from Julie Naturally
We know we should practice gratitude, but sometimes we just don’t feel grateful. Everything seems to go wrong and we struggle to find anything for which we can be thankful. Julie shares how we can regain some perspective, plus she also has a free gratitude journal!
Thanksgiving Homeschool Activities + Unit Studies from Homeschool with Moxie
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and you may be looking for homeschool activities and unit studies for the season so you can change things up around the holidays.
Thankful Morning Time Plans from Everyday Graces Homeschool
Celebrate a month of thankfulness this November with these simple morning time plans!
Free Printable Games and Activities for a Fun Family Thanksgiving from The WOLFe Pack
Need a list of free Thanksgiving printable games and activities to help keep the kids entertained, happy and even educated? It’s right here!
4 Fall Traditions and A Sensory Look at the Season from Inside Our Normal
Thanksgiving is a special time to gather with far-away family and eat special food. If you have an Outside the Box Kid, it can be a time of anxiety with new and different people and foods. Learn how to make the best of the fall season and build a toolkit to make the holiday a success for your family.
How to Homeschool During the Holidays Successfully from Some Call It Destiny
Homeschooling during the holidays can leave you feeling crazy and stressed out. But it doesn’t need to. Learn how to keep your sanity and enjoy your holidays.
Thanksgiving Games: Spot the Difference from The Homeschool Cafe
Can you find the 8 differences between each festive scene? This Spot The Difference Thanksgiving Day-themed packet is a fun activity to try!
Thanksgiving Theme Preschool Lesson Plans from Simple Living Mama
Teach your little one about the Thanksgiving story with these fun Thanksgiving themed resources. There are lots of activities, free printables, and book ideas.
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