Thanksgiving presents a perfect opportunity to help children of all ages and grade levels develop better writing skills. Use the ideas below to encourage children think about Thanksgiving, and the meaning behind this holiday, while learning and practicing essential writing skills.
Grades K-2
Thanksgiving Sentences
Kids in this age group are learning basic sentence structure and how to put together complete sentences that make a statement, ask a question, or express a thought/idea.
Use sentence starters to help kids in this age group learn to build all kinds of sentences.
Giving children some examples of how they could write each sentence below will help them catch on to the idea.
- Write a sentence that tells people one thing that you are thankful for.
- Write a sentence that asks a question about Thanksgiving.
- Write a sentence that tells people how you think or feel about Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Story Teller
Since children at this age may still have difficulty with the motor skills involved in writing, another good activity to do with them is to write a story together. Have a large piece of easel paper and a marker nearby to write the story as the children tell it. Sit in a large circle on the floor if possible. Begin with a story starter below. Going around the circle, have each child add one complete sentence to the story. Write down each child’s sentence as the story unfolds. Be sure to read the whole story back to the group when it is finished.
- It was Thanksgiving Day. Tom the turkey was on his way to his favorite spot in the barnyard, when suddenly...
- It was Thanksgiving Day. Mrs. Jones was baking a homemade pumpkin pie for dessert, and Mr. Jones was napping in his big, blue chair. Everything was going along just nicely, until...
- Once upon a time in the land of Thanksgiving, a little girl named Nancy was having a big turkey dinner with her family, just like she did every day, when something very funny happened. It all started when...
Grades 3-5
Kids in this age group are learning parts of speech, proper sentence structure, and the elements of writing. They are able to follow more specific instructions when putting together a piece of writing. Use any of the ideas below to help children with writing skills as well as expressing their thoughts, feelings and ideas about Thanksgiving in a creative way.
- Write a poem or a haiku about something that you are thankful for. Use at least 3 adjectives in your poem.
- Write a story about your best Thanksgiving memory. Be sure that it has a beginning, middle and end.
- Write and present to the class a short speech that tells people what you like about Thanksgiving.
Grades 6 and up
Creative writing opportunities abound for older students. Encourage thoughtful expression and creative use of language. In this age group, students should be able to logically explain and clarify an idea through the use of structured writing assignments. Assign pieces that will challenge the students thinking or expand their knowledge on a subject. Some ideas include:
- Write a history of Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States.
- Research and write a report about at least 3 holidays celebrated around the world.
- Write an essay describing why you think Thanksgiving is or is not an important holiday.
- Research and write about Thanksgiving traditions in different parts of America.
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