Thanksgiving will be here before we know it! If you’re looking for ideas for a Thanksgiving unit study, we’ve got you covered. Some of the Thanksgiving unit studies listed below will only take a day or two to complete, while others have enough ideas to last a month.
Thanksgiving Unit Studies
You may enjoy combining ideas from several of these free unit studies to create your own customized Thanksgiving unit.
This page contains affiliate links. See our complete disclosure for more information.
A History of Thanksgiving Mini Unit
This unit study created by Mr. Gray History and available for download on Teachers Pay Teachers is recommended for 4th through 10th grades. It covers the history of Thanksgiving from its ancient origins to the present day. There is a PowerPoint presentation, timeline worksheets for students to record what they learn, coloring pages, and a crossword puzzle.
Thanksgiving Guided Viewing Unit
This video-based unit study was created by Reading Through History and is available for download on Teachers Pay Teachers. The nine-video series covers the history of Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving traditions, and more. There is a fill-in-the-blank worksheet to go along with each video. This unit is recommended for 5th through 9th grades but could also be used with younger or older kids.
Cranberry Thanksgiving Lapbook Unit Study
This lapbook created by Homeschool Share is based on the book Cranberry Thanksgiving. There are lapbook pieces that cover the first Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving traditions, thankfulness, the moral of the story, literary devices, cranberries, and New England. There is also a science experiment and a copywork worksheet. This set is best suited to elementary-aged children.
Thanksgiving and Pilgrims Lesson Plans
Learn Bright offers Pilgrims and Thanksgiving Origins lesson plans. The lesson plans include background information, worksheets, and activities. They are designed for 1st through 3rd grades. When you create a free account at Learn Bright, you can download one free lesson plan each month. Additional lesson plans are $1.95 each.
Thanksgiving Day Notebooking Pages
This 40-page printable offered by NotebookingPages.com is excellent for all ages. There are pages for kids to record what they learn about the holiday and write about what they are thankful for. There are also recipe cards, coloring sheets, and more.
Thankfulness Lapbook
This lapbook from Homeschool Share includes pieces for kids to record what they are thankful for, a word search, Bible verse cards, and more. It’s a great way to encourage elementary-aged kids to focus on thankfulness during the Thanksgiving season.
Cultivating Thankful Hearts: A Unit Study on Thankfulness
Blessed Beyond a Doubt created this unit study to teach thankfulness from a Biblical perspective. The author’s goal is to help your family prepare your hearts for the Thanksgiving holiday. The unit includes a lesson plan, memory verses, scripture copywork, activities, prompts for further study, and more. The unit is designed for children ages four through ten.
Thanksgiving Meal Planning Unit Study
My guest post at 7Sisters Homeschool gives many ideas for turning Thanksgiving meal planning into a fun unit study incorporating many subjects. There are activity ideas for history, geography, personal finance, math, science, art, language arts, and cooking skills. Most of the activities can be adapted to any age level.
A Heart of Gratitude: A Thanksgiving Bible Study
The Homeschool Corner created this sixty-page, four-week Bible study and has made it available on Teachers Pay Teachers. The Bible study focuses on gratitude and includes memory verses, daily scripture reading with questions, copywork, a gratitude journal, coloring pages, and crafts. This Bible study should work with kids of all ages.
Thanksgiving Notebooking Pages & Worksheets
The Notebooking Nook offers three separate Thanksgiving downloads: notebooking pages, activity pages, and copywork worksheets. Together, these downloads total over 110 printable pages. There are pages for kids to record what they are thankful for and what they learn about Thanksgiving, coloring sheets, poem copywork, and much more. This set is intended for elementary-aged kids.
Give Thanks to the Lord Unit Study
Homeschool Share created this unit study based on the book Give Thanks to the Lord. The unit study includes scripture memory work, Doxology copywork, handwriting practice, and writing prompts that focus on thankfulness. There are also math, science, and art activities related to the book. This unit study is designed for elementary-aged students.
Happy Thanksgiving: Lesson Plans & Activities
Education World offers a large selection of Thanksgiving lesson plans and activities, which could be used to create a unit study. Some of the topics covered include the first Thanksgiving, Pilgrims, and Native Americans. The lessons incorporate each school subject using projects, crafts, writing assignments, and more. There are lessons available for all ages.
Turkey Unit Study
With this unit study from The Waldock Way, your elementary-aged kids can learn all about turkeys. It includes turkey facts, videos, a craft, a drawing tutorial, a writing prompt, turkey lifecycle worksheets, turkey vocabulary words, and more.
Turkey Gobble Thanksgiving Science
This turkey gobble activity from Mama Smiles is a fun way to add STEM to your family’s Thanksgiving learning. Kids will learn about turkeys and how they make their “gobble gobble” sound. Then, they will make their own membranophone to mimic a turkey gobble. This activity may be used with all ages but is probably best suited for elementary students.
The History of Thanksgiving
This article about the history of Thanksgiving from Hess Un-Academy includes several ideas for planning a Thanksgiving Unit Study. The ideas include Native American recipes, STEM activities, ways to focus on gratitude, book suggestions, and Thanksgiving-themed spelling words. These ideas can be used with a wide range of ages.
Thanksgiving Printables
Year Round Homeschooling offers several sets of printable Thanksgiving learning packs and activity pages that would make a great addition to any of the unit studies listed on this page. The printable sets include writing prompts, recipe cards, coloring sheets, math practice, word searches, and more. There are sets available for preschool, elementary, and middle school.
Related Posts
More free holiday-themed unit studies, lessons, and activities for your homeschool:
- November Unit Studies and Lessons
- December Unit Studies and Lessons
- Christmas Unit Studies
- Christmas Around the World Unit Studies
- Advent Activities
Note: This post was originally published on October 6, 2020, and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Our Blog
At the Freedom Homeschooling Blog, you'll find homeschool resources and information, tips for homeschooling on a budget, encouragement, and more! Please follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Threads, and X.