Happy Thanksgiving to all homeschooling families! We hope you and your family can enjoy some rest from the normal business of the school year as you celebrate thankfulness together this season. Of course, although you may not be helping your child with typical math or grammar exercises during this holiday break, as a homeschooling parent, you know well that homeschooling never really stops. So, if you are on the search for fun, educational ways to enliven your holiday, we’ve compiled this short list of six Thanksgiving homeschool activities the whole family can participate in to experience some festive learning together. Enjoy!
Celebrate Learning with These Thanksgiving Homeschool Activities!
Let’s kick this list off with something savory:
1. Get the Whole Family Cooking
Here’s a fun Thanksgiving homeschool activity your taste buds will enjoy! Why not let the whole family help out in cooking the Thanksgiving dinner?
For younger students unfamiliar with how to cook, seize this wonderful opportunity to help them read and follow recipes as they lend you a hand in the meal preparation. Or you can divide and conquer with your older students by having them each tackle their own dish.
This makes time in the kitchen enjoyable as you and your family work together toward the same goal. And when it comes time to sit down at the table and eat, everyone in the family will feel like they have contributed!
2. Reenact the First Thanksgiving
Another fun way to incorporate some learning into this holiday is by reenacting the very first Thanksgiving!
You can take this as seriously as you want. For example, half the family could dress up as Indians and the other half as Pilgrims—something your littlest learners will especially enjoy. Then, you could prepare and eat your Thanksgiving dinner outside, followed by games, dancing, and gifts, just like in the original celebration. You could also listen to the Jim Hodges audiobook, Stories of the Pilgrims, and stage a play afterward, reenacting your family’s favorite scenes.
This Thanksgiving homeschool activity is an amusing and engaging way for your family to learn about the history of the holiday. Of course, the more the merrier, so feel free to invite other community members to partake!
3. Ask Each Family Member What They Are Grateful For
A wonderful Thanksgiving tradition is practicing gratitude for God’s blessings together with family and friends.
While some families enjoy simply going around the table with each family member saying something they are grateful for, others write down what they are thankful for on notes to place in Gratefulness Jars or to stick on DIY Gratitude Trees made from construction paper and other household materials.
4. Take a Family Nature Walk
November weather demands getting outside and taking a walk! That is, if you can even stand after eating that turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie . . .
Whether in your local park, through a wooded trail, or in your own neighborhood, taking a pre- or post-meal walk can be an enjoyable way to spend time together as a family on Thanksgiving. It can also make the perfect Thanksgiving homeschool activity with your younger students by turning it into a scavenger hunt for unique fallen leaves. To bring some math into this nature walk, take a ruler along to measure the leaves to see who can find the largest!
5. Read Aloud Together
After eating or walking, you and your family will be exhausted. This is the perfect time to hang around the living room and read aloud together as a family!
If everyone in the family can read, perhaps take turns reading a favorite story with each person delivering a different character’s dialogue. Or, if you have a copy of New World Echoes, turn the page to Week 10 to read aloud “The First Thanksgiving” and John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem “The Pumpkin.” Whatever your read-aloud of choice, this activity is a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving together with your loved ones!
6. Play Games
Playing games as a family is a common way to relax and spend time together on Thanksgiving. There’s also so much that students can learn from games, whether about economics in Monopoly, battle strategies in Risk, or colonization in Settlers of Catan!
Aside from board games, some other ideas include playing a family football game outside, solving a Thanksgiving-themed puzzle, or filling in coloring pages. (For history-oriented coloring pages and additional games, check out Prescripts Cursive Letters and Coloring: World History for your littlest learners and the Story of the World activity books for learners ages six to nine.)
(And be sure to check out these 5 ways to make homeschooling fun!)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Amid all these fun Thanksgiving homeschool activities, the food, and the relaxation, it’s important to remember the true meaning behind this holiday and to allow room for reflection and thanks for the blessings that God has given you. So, don’t cram your day with all these fun activities and forget to leave time to be thankful!
May the Lord bless you, your family, and your community this Thanksgiving. Enjoy the break!
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