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1st Grade Thanksgiving Resources

32 1st grade Thanksgiving resources: 23 worksheets, 7 activities, 2 flash cards and more. How teachers use these

1st Grade Thanksgiving Resources

32 1st grade Thanksgiving resources: 23 worksheets, 7 activities, 2 flash cards and more. How teachers use these

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradePumpkin Writing Paper

This pumpkin writing paper worksheet gives 1st grade students a pumpkin patch prompt and ten roomy writing rules, so a reluctant writer always has somewhere to begin in the autumn.

Flash Cards
Flash Cards1st GradeThanksgiving Flash Cards

These Thanksgiving flash cards give preschool through 2nd grade children 18 self-checking picture and word cards for building holiday vocabulary. A card list answer key is included.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeThanksgiving Writing Paper

This Thanksgiving writing paper gives 1st graders a holiday prompt, ten roomy writing rules and a bright harvest illustration, so every child can write about one thing they are thankful for.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradePumpkin Subtraction Worksheet

This pumpkin subtraction worksheet gives 1st Grade students fall practice subtracting within 20, with ten boxed facts, four missing number problems, and an answer key for quick checking.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeThanksgiving Fact Families Worksheet

This Thanksgiving fact families worksheet gives 1st grade students practice with addition and subtraction within 20. An answer key is included, so a holiday math review takes almost no prep.

Workbook
Workbook1st GradeThanksgiving Mini Pack

Using this Thanksgiving Mini Pack, students learn about Thanksgiving through ten fun worksheets and two activities.

Assessment
Assessment1st GradeThanksgiving Dinner Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This thanksgiving dinner reading comprehension worksheet gives 2nd graders a short holiday story with four multiple choice questions and one written response. An answer key is included, so comprehension practice takes no prep at all.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeThanksgiving Turkey Subtraction Worksheet

This Thanksgiving Turkey Subtraction Worksheet gives 1st graders eight column problems within 20 and two holiday word problems. An answer key is included, so practice is quick to assign and quick to check.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeThanksgiving Skip Counting Worksheet

This Thanksgiving Skip Counting Worksheet gives 1st Grade students three harvest-themed strips to finish by twos, fives, and tens. An answer key is included, so a quick check takes seconds.

Activity
Activity1st GradeShort Vowel Pumpkin Patch Activity

This short vowel pumpkin patch activity helps K-1st grade children hear short a, e, i, o and u sounds with a fall picture sort and recording page. Answer key included.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeThanksgiving Alphabet Letters Posters

These Thanksgiving Alphabet Letters Posters support students' recognition of both upper and lower case ABC letters using this print font.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeThanksgiving Sentence Writing Worksheet

This Thanksgiving Sentence Writing Worksheet gives 1st Grade students three autumn pictures to write about on their own lines, building confident sentence writing from the first day of November.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeThanksgiving Turkey Writing Paper

This thanksgiving turkey writing paper gives 1st grade students eleven roomy lines to write about what they are thankful for, with a cheerful crayon turkey and harvest picture to spark ideas.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeThanksgiving Dinner Writing Paper

This Thanksgiving dinner writing paper worksheet gives 1st grade students a cheerful page with wide lines and a simple prompt about a favorite food, so young writers can share their holiday ideas.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeThanksgiving Day Alphabetical Order Worksheet

This Thanksgiving Day Alphabetical Order Worksheet gives 1st Grade students ten holiday words to put in ABC order, with an answer key included, so alphabetizing practice feels festive and stays quick to check.

Activity
Activity1st GradeRoll A Turkey Thanksgiving Activity

In this roll a turkey thanksgiving activity, Preschool to 1st Grade children roll a die, count the dots and color the matching turkey part to win. Answer key included.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeThanksgiving Turkey Border Writing Paper

This Thanksgiving turkey border writing paper worksheet gives 1st grade students a festive page with wide lines and a simple fall prompt, so young writers can share their own seasonal ideas.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeThanksgiving Syllables Worksheet

This Thanksgiving syllables worksheet helps 1st graders clap and count the beats in holiday words, then fill in missing vowels. An answer key is included so checking is fast and easy.

Worksheet
Worksheet1st GradeThanksgiving Pilgrim Hat Border Writing Paper

This Thanksgiving pilgrim hat border writing paper worksheet gives 1st grade students wide lines and a simple prompt about what they are thankful for, so young writers can share their own grateful ideas.

From our teachers' playbook

Gobble up some learning!

What do 1st graders learn around Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving gives first graders a cozy theme for the skills they're already building. They read short passages about family dinners and harvest time, write sentences about what they're thankful for, and practice math like subtraction and skip counting with turkeys and pumpkins: 10 − 3 = 7 feathers left! Many classes also talk about gratitude and harvest traditions. The click moment comes when a child writes a full "I am thankful for…" sentence with a capital letter and a period, all on their own.

Our favorite ways to make Thanksgiving learning stick

A holiday theme keeps first graders excited while the real skills keep growing. Here's how we use it.

One page a day till the break

Pull one page from the mini pack each morning in the week before Thanksgiving. Short daily practice keeps reading, writing and math warm right up to the long weekend, and kids love seeing what's next.

Why it works: spreading practice out over days is one of the two most effective study methods in a major research review (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).

Thanksgiving Mini PackTry it withThanksgiving Mini PackWorkbooksOpen it →

Picture word wall

Post the Thanksgiving word cards and read them together each day. When kids write, they hunt the wall for "turkey" or "family." Pictures next to words help emerging readers decode on their own.

Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).

Thanksgiving Flash CardsTry it withThanksgiving Flash CardsFlash CardsOpen it →

Read it, then tell it

After reading the dinner passage, ask three quick questions with no peeking: who, where, what happened. Then let kids check the text. Recalling first and checking second builds stronger comprehension than rereading.

Why it works: a big review of study methods ranked quick self-quizzing among the most powerful ways to remember (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).

Thanksgiving Dinner Reading Comprehension WorksheetTry it withThanksgiving Dinner Reading Comprehension WorksheetAssessmentsOpen it →

Questions teachers and parents ask

What are good Thanksgiving activities for 1st grade?

Reading passages about Thanksgiving dinner, thankful writing, turkey skip counting and subtraction, and simple word cards are all great fits. They keep first-grade skills going with a fun theme.

How do I teach gratitude to 1st graders?

Keep it concrete. Ask kids to name one person who helped them today and how. A daily thankful sentence or a class gratitude chain works well in November.

How can I explain Thanksgiving to a first grader?

Keep it simple: it's a day to share a meal and say thank you for food, family and friends, tied to the fall harvest. Read an age-appropriate book together and talk about your own family traditions.

What can my 1st grader practice over Thanksgiving break?

Read together every day, write a thank-you note to a relative, and count or add with food at the table. A little practice keeps skills fresh after the break.