Thanksgiving isn’t usually celebrated a whole lot in high schools. However, if you’re looking for some activities to do in with your students in the classroom this time of year, you’ve come to the right place. This blog post has a variety of activities that involve the whole class.
As a former high school English teacher, I found that it was making memorable moments like these were also a great opportunity to teach high school students about the history of Thanksgiving and its importance. The tradition of expressing gratitude is a good practice for improving your mental health and what better age to talk about this? Hopefully, these ideas help you incorporate the season into your lesson plans.
10 Fun Thanksgiving Classroom Activities for High School
Here are 10 fun activities that you can do in your classroom before Thanksgiving break:
1. Have students read stories about or watch movies about the history of the Thanksgiving season.
2. Have students make thank-you cards for people they know who have helped them throughout the year. This is a great way to tell the lunch ladies, janitors, and workers at the school. You could also have them write a card for someone that has impacted their world in the past year positively.
3. Play group games like charades, scavenger hunts, or other thanksgiving games. You could come up with a jeopardy game if you teach history quizzing students on their knowledge. This is a fun way to incorporate the holiday and topics you’ve been learning in class without coordinating anything too extravagant.
4. Make turkey crafts or other thanksgiving crafts together as a class. If you think high school students are too old to make crafts…think again. They LOVE getting crafty! Hang up their creations on the bulletin board. Doing hands-on activities is a nice brain break for students, plus it’s important for socializing and building a cohesive classroom. It’s good to not always be intense but to have some balance and creative outlets.
5. Make a large class Thankful Tree
Students can write down things they are thankful for and hang them on the tree. This is a good grateful practice because you can visually see how much there is to be grateful for.
6. Have a pie potluck lunch in the classroom or host a mini thanksgiving dinner or desert potluck. Student can bring in pies or sides to share with everyone. Be sure to provide pumpkin pie or other thanksgiving food that everyone can enjoy!
7. If you are a language arts or theater teacher, have students split into small groups and read thanksgiving-related writings and then act them out. I suggest An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott (short story) or 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O’Neill Grace (a National Geographic book).
8. If you are a history teacher, host a discussion or debate about the events leading up to the first Thanksgiving feast.
9. Have your students write up their own family’s thanksgiving traditions, and why that’s important for them. Make everyone share with the class what their family does and learn about other cultures!
10: Have your students start gratitude journals for extra credit! This is a great way to encourage positivity and reflect on the things they are thankful for.
You could also print out these Thanksgiving Mad Libs to do in class!
Most of these activities would work for elementary, middle, and high school students. Hope you enjoyed this list of Thanksgiving activities! Do you have any other ideas for classroom activities during the holiday season? Share them in the comments below!
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I loved these creative Thanksgiving activities! It’s nice to see how they can be adapted for high school students. I’m especially excited to try out the gratitude letter project; it seems like a meaningful way to encourage reflection. Thanks for sharing these ideas!
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I love these creative ideas for Thanksgiving activities! It’s great to see ways to engage high school students in festive learning. I can’t wait to try the gratitude journal activity with my class—such a meaningful way to reflect during this season! Thank you for sharing!
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These are such creative and engaging ideas for Thanksgiving classroom activities! I love how each one promotes both learning and bonding among students. The Thankful Tree and gratitude journals are especially wonderful for encouraging reflection and positivity. I can’t wait to try some of these activities in my own classroom this year! Thanks for sharing these thoughtful suggestions!
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These are such creative and engaging ideas for Thanksgiving classroom activities! I love how each one promotes both learning and bonding among students. I’m especially excited to try out the gratitude letter project; it seems like a meaningful way to encourage reflection. Thanks for sharing these ideas!
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These activities sound like a fantastic way to engage high school students during Thanksgiving! I especially love the idea of incorporating gratitude journaling. It’s a meaningful way for students to reflect and share. Can’t wait to try some of these in my classroom!
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Your collection of Thanksgiving classroom activities is truly exceptional – it’s wonderful to see educators prioritizing both academic learning and social bonding. The gratitude letter project, in particular, resonates with me as a meaningful way to cultivate empathy and self-awareness in students. I think it’s essential for young minds to reflect on their blessings, and I’m sure these engaging activities will not only make your classroom environment more festive but also create lasting memories for your students. Thank you for sharing your creativity and expertise – I look forward to exploring more of your ideas!
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Your Thanksgiving classroom activities are amazing! I love how they combine learning with social bonding. The gratitude letter project is especially meaningful—it helps students develop empathy and self-awareness. Reflecting on their blessings is so important, and these activities will make your classroom both festive and memorable. Thanks for sharing your great ideas—I can’t wait to see more!
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These activities are such a great way to engage high school students during Thanksgiving! I especially love the idea of incorporating meaningful discussions about gratitude and community service. It’s a wonderful reminder of the holiday’s true spirit while making learning fun. Can’t wait to try some of these in my classroom!
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These Thanksgiving activities are great! I appreciate how easily they can be adapted for high school. The gratitude letter project, in particular, looks like a wonderful way to foster reflection, and I’m eager to try it. Thanks for the inspiration!
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Thanksgiving provides a great opportunity for fun and engaging high school classroom activities. Students can participate in debates, trivia games, or creative writing exercises centered around the holiday. Activities like designing Thanksgiving cards, creating a gratitude tree, or learning about different cultural traditions can promote creativity and reflection. Additionally, hands-on projects such as cooking demonstrations or math puzzles with a Thanksgiving twist allow students to explore the holiday in a practical, enjoyable way. These activities foster teamwork, critical thinking, and holiday spirit in an educational setting.
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The pie potluck sounds like a fantastic way to build community in the classroom. Food always brings people together, and sharing family traditions makes the experience even more meaningful. I might have to try this with my students this year!
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This list has so many fun and engaging ideas! I especially like the activity where students write about their own Thanksgiving traditions. It’s a great way to celebrate diversity and learn about different cultural perspectives on the holiday. Thanks for sharing these creative ideas.
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These activities are perfect for keeping teens engaged before the holiday break! 🦃 I used a few last year and paired them with a ‘gratitude journal’ assignment. If your school uses a portal liketxrhlive payroll sign in for sharing lesson plans or event schedules, it’s a great way to coordinate with other teachers. Ours even has a ‘Holiday Hub’ for pooling resources!”
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