the history of thanksgiving worksheet answers

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Creative Learning Ideas. Printable Activities.

History of Thanksgiving Worksheets and Unit Study Resources

During the week of Thanksgiving, my children and I usually take a break from our regular school subjects and study about the history of Thanksgiving.  I call it ‘Thanksgiving School.’

That’s a very creative name, isn’t it?! 🙂

I try to make it fun and have everything we do revolve around Thanksgiving history – worksheets, matching games, reading, and even science!

But having a Thanksgiving Week takes a little planning!

I’ve compiled a list of resources that I’m using in our homeschool to study that First Thanksgiving.  Hopefully you can use them in your own homeschool also.

NOTE: This post was originally published in November 2012! It needed updating terribly, as did the free printables! Make sure you download those and have a fun Thanksgiving School in your own home! ♥

➡ Browse through the large selection of Thanksgiving Worksheets and Printable Activities here at Mama’s Learning Corner!

You’ll find Thanksgiving writing booklets, coloring pages, word searches, unit study helps , and more!

 Children’s Books on the History of Thanksgiving

This post contains affiliate links.  Please see my disclosure page for more information.

We’ll read through several books during the week of Thanksgiving, including many of these:

• …If You Sailed on The Mayflower in 1620 – Ann McGovern  – We read through this book last year and  loved it!  My kiddos and I enjoyed all of the details and facts.
• If You Were At…The First Thanksgiving – Anne Kamma – We also read through this book last year and it had the same style of presenting facts in an interesting way.
• The Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving – Ann McGovern (a favorite!)
• The Littlest Pilgrim – Brandi Dougherty  – The book itself is fiction, but the descriptions are accurate for the time period
• Thanksgiving is For Giving Thanks – Margaret Sutherland – also not historical, but works is a simple read for my preschooler
• Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation (The Time Traveling Twins) – Diane Stanley – Packed full of interesting tidbits of that First Thanksgiving, including what was eaten then compared to what is eaten now.

Videos on the History of Thanksgiving

Watch how I plan our entire History of Thanksgiving unit study in this video!

While I’ve personally viewed each of these videos to determine if their content is appropriate, make sure you view them before your children to make sure they’re appropriate for  your household.

The First Thanksgiving Story

Bet You Didn’t Know: History of Thanksgiving

History of Thanksgiving Day

Free Worksheets on the History of Thanksgiving

This group of worksheets will be used in our own homeschool during the week of Thanksgiving.  Feel free to download it and use it in your own homeschool!

In this 12-page group of worksheets you’ll find:

• Fill-in-the-blank with simple answers
• Cut & Paste definitions (set of 5)
• Writing Prompt Notebooking Page
• Word Search (horizontal lines only)
• Then and Now Thanksgiving Dinner –
• Thanksgiving History Mystery Code
• Copywork Page of Lincoln’s Proclamation in 1863

All Access Pass members can download immediately download this History of Thanksgiving packet.

After you log in , choose the  Thanksgiving and Christmas page and scroll down until you see this particular set.  Then just click and your download will start immediately.

Download Thanksgiving Worksheets here:

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Reader Interactions

November 7, 2012 at 8:42 am

Thank you, Lauren! Great stuff!

November 11, 2012 at 10:15 pm

These are great ideas! I’m so glad you sent me the link! 🙂 What a blessing!

November 12, 2012 at 8:59 pm

Thank you, Lana! 🙂

November 24, 2018 at 8:53 pm

I couldn’t ever get it to download for me so hopefully I’ll be able to use it for my kiddos next year…..if it’ll download. I thought what I read about it sounded awesome to use though. Here’s hoping. Thanks

November 30, 2018 at 8:50 am

Hey Shelbi, That packet has been downloaded thousands of time this month, so I don’t think it’s an issue on my end. It sounds like wi-fi might be the trouble. Definitely try again – it’s a fun little study! 🙂

November 12, 2012 at 8:56 am

Thank you for posting these! I didn’t want to totally take off Thanksgiving week.

November 12, 2012 at 9:00 pm

HAnt – so glad you and your kiddos could use these! Thanks for stopping by –

November 20, 2012 at 3:59 pm

November 20, 2012 at 11:40 pm

You’ve put together a nice resource. I shared it with families of the Oregon Christian Home Education Association Network.

November 20, 2012 at 11:49 pm

Thanks so much, Dorothy! I appreciate that!

November 25, 2014 at 10:32 am

Such a great resource! Thank you for sharing!

November 25, 2014 at 2:44 pm

You’re welcome! I’m so glad you can use these great resources!

Thanks for stopping by today! 🙂

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Thanksgiving Origins

Thanksgiving Origins teaches students about the origins of Thanksgiving. Students will learn how Thanksgiving began, how it evolved, and the lasting impact of its beginnings today. This lesson plan delves into the role of the Native Americans in the first Thanksgiving, what foods they served, and how it became a national holiday.

The “Options for Lesson” section of this lesson lists suggestions for activities to add to the lesson or substitutions for the ones already in the lesson. One option, for instance, is to add prices to the food items in the activity.

Description

Additional information, what our thanksgiving origins lesson plan includes.

Lesson Objectives and Overview: Thanksgiving Origins teaches students all about the beginning of a holiday they probably celebrate with their family every year: Thanksgiving! With this lesson, students will learn all about the first Thanksgiving, how it became a national holiday, and more. This lesson is for students in 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. For this lesson, the only supplies that you need are the handouts. You can prepare for this lesson ahead of time by pairing students for the activity and copying the handouts.

Options for Lesson

Included with this lesson is an “Options for Lesson” section that lists a number of suggestions for activities to add to the lesson or substitutions for the ones already in it. One option is to add prices to the food items in the activity and give students a budget to spend on the meals they create. You could also serve some of the actual foods that people would have had at the first Thanksgiving. Another idea is to ask parents to bring in a special food that they usually serve on Thanksgiving. Or you could have one new parent send in food every day for the month of November, which can be designated as “Thanksgiving Month.” You could invite a Native American or expert on a specific tribe’s culture to speak to the class. One last idea is to study words and place names with Native American roots, such as many of the state names.

Teacher Notes

The teacher notes page includes a paragraph with additional guidelines and things to think about as you begin to plan your lesson. It notes that there are many additional resources that you can use to supplement your lesson, including many informative videos from the History Channel that you and your class could view during this lesson. This page also includes lines that you can use to add your own notes as you prepare for this lesson.

THANKSGIVING ORIGINS LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

Origins of thanksgiving.

The Thanksgiving Origins lesson plan includes three content pages. The first section of this lesson gives a brief overview of the history of the celebration and how it became a national holiday in the United States. Thanksgiving is an annual holiday in the United States that happens on the fourth Thursday in November every year. Students will learn that the editor, Sarah Josepha Hale, of a popular women’s magazine was one of the biggest advocates for making Thanksgiving a national holiday.

Students will also learn that Abraham Lincoln was the president who finally made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. The holiday did not always include turkey, pumpkin pie, football, and days out of school. In fact, when Lincoln made it a holiday more than 250 years after the first Thanksgiving, he declared that it was a holiday to give thanks for “general blessings.” This is still true today. Many families all over the United States gather on the holiday to give thanks and celebrate with friends, family, and a big meal.

First Thanksgiving

The next section of this lesson goes into detail about the first Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving occurred in 1621, more than 250 years before it would become an official holiday. This section describes the who, what, why, when, how, and where of the first version of the holiday. Students will learn that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated by about 50 English Puritans, the Pilgrims, and about 90 Wampanoag people. The Wampanoag people had lived on the land for over 12,000 years!

The first feast was three days long. It kicked off with settlers hunting for the food for the celebration. The Wampanoag people thought that the settlers were preparing for war. However, when they visited the Pilgrims and found out that they were preparing a feast, they gathered their own food as well and joined the festivities.

The people ate deer, corn, shellfish, duck, goose, lobster, eel, and other fish, but no turkey or pumpkin pie! This celebration happened in what is now southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island. Several other states like Florida, Texas, Maine, and Virginia also claim to have held the first Thanksgiving, but the official first Thanksgiving happened in Plymouth County, Massachusetts.

Thanksgiving Myths

Students will then learn the truth about some popular Thanksgiving myths. Though many paintings and drawings of the Pilgrims depict them wearing silver buckles on their shoes and black clothing, they actually wore bright and colorful clothing during this time. The Native Americans, on the other hand, did not wear blankets on their shoulders or the large feathered headdresses painters often depicted them in. It’s much more likely that they wore moccasins, deerskin leggings, jewelry, and body paint instead.

Finally, the settlers did not actually call themselves Pilgrims. Historians created this term later to describe them. At this time, they called themselves either Puritans or Separatists. Despite the facts and the myths, we widely agree that Thanksgiving is a celebration with family and friends. It’s a way to give thanks for our blessings.

THANKSGIVING ORIGINS LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The Thanksgiving Origins lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. Each worksheet will help students solidify their grasp of the lesson content and material they learned. You can refer to the guide on the classroom procedure page to determine when to hand out each worksheet. These worksheets will test student’s understanding of the lesson material.

THANKSGIVING FOODS ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

Students will work in pairs to create three Thanksgiving meals. They will use foods from two lists: Thanksgiving foods from 1621 and Thanksgiving foods from today. They have to include a certain number of drinks, meats, fish, vegetables, and more for each meal. The three meals they will create are a 1621 meal, today’s meal, and a meal that includes food items from both time periods. Students can also work alone or in groups of three for this activity if you want them to do so.

THANKSGIVING ORIGINS PRACTICE WORKSHEET

For the practice worksheet, there is a list of 25 total statements. For the first 20 statements, students will circle the correct choice from the two options listed next to each statement. The final 5 statements require students to determine whether the sentence is true or false and circle the correct response.

ACROSTIC POEM HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Students will create an acrostic poem using the letters in Thanksgiving. For each letter, they will write something they are thankful for at home, school, or with friends and family. This assignment will allow students to think more deeply about the meaning of the holiday. They’ll also reflect on the things that they are thankful for.

Worksheet Answer Keys

This lesson plan includes answer keys for the practice worksheet. Answer keys are not provided for either the activity worksheet or the homework assignment. Student’s answers for both of those worksheets will vary. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.

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Excellent Resource

This is a well put together resource with excellent teaching materials that are easy to follow.

communities

The lesson was very engaging for my students , the images and videos really paints the picture of the lesson for my visual learner. thank you so much!! hopefully I can donate the next time.

Thanksgiving

Love your papers thanks for making them.

Great Thanksgiving teaching resource.

Used this with my homeschooled 7 year old. He was completely engaged--and isnt' that what we dream of?

Great resource

I used this resource in a 6-8th grade class for my Social Studies lesson on Thanksgiving. It was very informative and interesting.

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Thanksgiving Traditions Facts & Worksheets

Thanksgiving day is one of the most important federal holidays in the united states celebrated every fourth thursday in november., search for worksheets.

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Table of Contents

Thanksgiving Day is one of the most important federal holidays in the United States celebrated every fourth Thursday in November. Over time, some families celebrating this day have continued to uphold the old traditions while others opted to modify the holiday accommodating their own traditions.

See the fact file below for more information on the Thanksgiving Traditions or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Thanksgiving Traditions worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

A brief history of thanksgiving.

• In the early autumn of 1621, Pilgrims from Europe celebrated the first Thanksgiving in America together with the native Wampanoag Indians at the Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts.
• The Pilgrims celebrated thanksgiving with the Wampanoag tribe to give thanks for the first successful harvest in the New World. Moreover, it was the Wampanoag people who taught them how to cultivate the land to be able to survive the winter.
• In particular, Squanto and his Patuxet tribe assisted the Pilgrims in their settlement in the New World.
• Among the attendees was Edward Winslow, an English leader who described the first feast, which consisted of fowl, squash, flint corn, porridge, shellfish, and chestnuts.
• In 1789, President George Washington observed Thanksgiving as a national holiday to give thanks and prayers. However, it was only in 1863 that the celebration became an official federal holiday through the proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln.

ACTIVITIES ON THANKSGIVING

• Despite the simplicity of the first Thanksgiving feast, food on the table of Americans today include the traditional roasted turkey with stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cornbread, and cranberry sauce.
• Others include apple cider, custard, hot chocolate, buttered rum, ham, fruit cake, candy canes, plum pudding, mixed nuts, fudge, pies, and eggnog.
• During this day, families gather to have a Thanksgiving meal together. Most do the breaking of the turkey wishbone during the meal wherein the one who gets the larger piece is granted a wish.
• There are many churches in the United States that hold a special Thanksgiving service to give thanks for the blessings they have received.
• In 1963, US President John F. Kennedy officially pardoned a turkey before the Thanksgiving dinner at the White House. Since then, succeeding presidents continue the tradition of saving a turkey’s life.
• Since 1924, Macy’s, a department store chain in the US, holds its annual Thanksgiving Parade which includes marching bands, gigantic floats, balloons, and broadway musicals.
• Macy’s tradition started as a Christmas parade in celebration of the expansion of its flagship store in Manhattan. They introduced floats highlighting Little Miss Muffet, Little Red Riding Hood, and an animal parade.
• Felix the Cat was the first character balloon flown during the Macy’s parade in 1927, while Mickey Mouse made his debut in 1934. At the height of WWII in 1942 until 1944, the parade was halted.
• The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday and is considered the largest and busiest shopping day of the year. This day marks the beginning of the many holiday sales before Christmas.
• Thanksgiving is also a day to watch football live or on the television.
• Also during Thanksgiving, many Americans give back and share their blessings to the less fortunate by creating food drives as a form of charity.
• As part of the turkey tradition, there are approximately 46 million turkeys eaten every year during Thanksgiving. Some even call the celebration Turkey Day.
• For some, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the busiest day for travellers as many Americans use this holiday to enjoy family trips.

TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD

• Thanksgiving is generally considered to be an American holiday, yet many countries around the world celebrate the day with almost the same traditions.
• Every 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, Chinese people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, their version of Thanksgiving. It is a 3 day public holiday wherein people eat mooncakes and other harvest foods to pray for abundance the next year.
• German people celebrate Erntedankfest (Harvest Festival) through organized church celebrations thanking the great harvest and ensuring another year without starvation.
• About 2,000 years ago, Japanese people practiced their first ritual of offering for the season’s rice harvest. Today, Labor Thanksgiving Day is a way to appreciate the workers’ rights.
• In Vietnam, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is celebrated with the lighting of lanterns after the summer harvest was over. It is also the time for parents to connect with their children.
• Pongal is a four day Indian festival where people give thanks to nature and the blessings showered upon them.

Thanksgiving Traditions Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Thanksgiving Traditions across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Thanksgiving Traditions worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Thanksgiving Traditions. Thanksgiving Day is one of the most important federal holidays in the United States celebrated every fourth Thursday in November. Over time, some families celebrating this day have continued to uphold the old traditions while others opted to modify the holiday accommodating their own traditions.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

• Thanksgiving Traditions Facts
• Thanksgiving Fact Cards
• Thanksgiving Feast
• Macy’s Annual Parade
• Presidents and Thanksgiving
• American Traditions
• Around the World on Thanksgiving
• Odd One Out
• Canadian Thanksgiving
• Family Traditions

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Link will appear as Thanksgiving Traditions Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 29, 2023

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Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

The First Thanksgiving Reading Comprehension

Thanksgiving reading comprehension:.

The historic first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and the Native Americans is the subject of this worksheet. Your student will learn the history and answer basic comprehension questions. The worksheet follows Common Core for Reading Informational Text for 1st and 2nd grade. It may also be used for other grades as needed.

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Thanksgiving 2024

By: History.com Editors

Updated: January 31, 2024 | Original: October 27, 2009

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2024 occurs on Thursday, November 28. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists from England and the Native American Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.

For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the  Civil War , that President  Abraham Lincoln   proclaimed  a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. But the holiday is not without controversy. Many Americans—including people of Native American ancestry—believe Thanksgiving celebrations mask the true history of oppression and bloodshed that underlies the relationship between European settlers and Native Americans.

Thanksgiving at Plymouth

In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the "New World." After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims , as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.

Did you know? Lobster, seal and swans were on the Pilgrims' menu.

Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from a member of the Abenaki tribe who greeted them in English. 

Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which endured for more than 50 years and remains one of the few examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.

When Was the First Thanksgiving?

In November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. Now remembered as America’s “first Thanksgiving”—although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time—the festival lasted for three days. While no record exists of the first Thanksgiving’s exact menu , much of what we know about what happened at the first Thanksgiving comes from Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow, who wrote:

“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

Historians have suggested that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods. Because the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower’s sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a hallmark of contemporary celebrations

Origins of Thanksgiving National Holiday

Pilgrims held their second Thanksgiving celebration in 1623 to mark the end of a long drought that had threatened the year’s harvest and prompted Governor Bradford to call for a religious fast. Days of fasting and thanksgiving on an annual or occasional basis became common practice in other New England settlements as well. 

During the American Revolution , the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country’s war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution . His successors John Adams and James Madison also designated days of thanks during their presidencies.

In 1817, New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday; each celebrated it on a different day, however, and the American South remained largely unfamiliar with the tradition. 

In 1827, the noted magazine editor and prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale —author, among countless other things, of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”—launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. For 36 years, she published numerous editorials and sent scores of letters to governors, senators, presidents and other politicians, earning her the nickname the “Mother of Thanksgiving.”

Abraham Lincoln finally heeded her request in 1863, at the height of the Civil War , in a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.”

He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day every year until 1939 when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales during the Great Depression . Roosevelt’s plan, known derisively as Franksgiving, was met with passionate opposition, and in 1941 the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.

Thanksgiving Food

In many American households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance; instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been on offer when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621. 

Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird—whether roasted, baked or deep-fried—on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. Other traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Parades have also become an integral part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United States. Presented by Macy’s department store since 1924, New York City’s Thanksgiving Day parade is the largest and most famous, attracting some 2 to 3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route and drawing an enormous television audience. It typically features marching bands, performers, elaborate floats conveying various celebrities and giant balloons shaped like cartoon characters.

Beginning in the mid-20th century and perhaps even earlier, the president of the United States has “pardoned” one or two Thanksgiving turkeys each year, sparing the birds from slaughter and sending them to a farm for retirement. A number of U.S. governors also perform the annual turkey pardoning ritual.

Thanksgiving Controversies

For some scholars, the jury is still out on whether the feast at Plymouth really constituted the first Thanksgiving in the United States. Indeed, historians have recorded other ceremonies of thanks among European settlers in North America that predate the Pilgrims’ celebration.

In 1565, for instance, the Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilé invited members of the local Timucua tribe to a dinner in St. Augustine , Florida , after holding a mass to thank God for his crew’s safe arrival. On December 4, 1619, when 38 British settlers reached a site known as Berkeley Hundred on the banks of Virginia’s James River, they read a proclamation designating the date as “a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.”

Some Native Americans and many others take issue with how the Thanksgiving story is presented to the American public, and especially to schoolchildren. In their view, the traditional narrative paints a deceptively sunny portrait of relations between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people, masking the long and bloody history of conflict between Native Americans and European settlers that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands. Since 1970, protesters have gathered on the day designated as Thanksgiving at the top of Cole’s Hill, which overlooks Plymouth Rock, to commemorate a “ National Day of Mourning .” Similar events are held in other parts of the country.

Thanksgiving's Ancient Origins

Although the American concept of Thanksgiving developed in the colonies of New England, its roots can be traced both to Native Americans, as well as back to the other side of the Atlantic. 

Both the Separatists who came over on the Mayflower and the Puritans who arrived soon after brought with them a tradition of providential holidays—days of fasting during difficult or pivotal moments and days of feasting and celebration to thank God in times of plenty.

As an annual celebration of the harvest and its bounty, moreover, Thanksgiving falls under a category of festivals that spans cultures, continents and millennia. In ancient times, the Egyptians , Greeks and Romans feasted and paid tribute to their gods after the fall harvest. Thanksgiving also bears a resemblance to the ancient Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot. 

Finally, historians have noted that Native Americans had a rich tradition of commemorating the fall harvest with feasting and merrymaking long before Europeans set foot on America's shores.

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The History of Thanksgiving Day

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Thanksgiving Worksheets

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There are many celebrations and holidays that are celebrated around the year in the U.S. But there is nothing more American than the Thanksgiving holiday! We celebrate it each year, but have you given a thought as to why we do? Let us get a clearer of the holiday together! Thanksgiving is a federal holiday that is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving holiday is being celebrated annually on and off since 1789. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated for the harvest and blessings of the past year. Thanksgiving was first observed in 1621 on a harvest feast that was shared by the English Colonists of Plymouth and the Wampanoag people. In the United States, there are lots of traditions followed on Thanksgiving Day. People gather together and share meals together. A typical meal comprises turkey, bread stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, and pumpkin pies. A Thanksgiving Day parade is also held every year in remembrance of the Thanksgiving celebrations. We explore a number of ways to include this theme in your classes in our article: Top 10 Tips for Incorporating Thanksgiving Themes in Your Classroom

Beginning Sounds and Blends

Circle the letter that the name of each object begins with.

What are you thankful for this year?

Draw a picture of the things you are most thankful for this holiday.

Picture Sentences

Draw a line from the sentence to the matching picture.

Spelling Words

Fill in the missing letters to complete each word.

A tradition is custom, belief, or activity that is passed on from generation to generation. Holiday traditions are certain things that you do every year as a way to observe or celebrate the holiday. Describe some of the Thanksgiving traditions in your family.

Put all of your ideas into these tracing activity.

Matching Game

Cut out each card along the dotted lines. Mix the cards and lay them face down. Turn the cards over two at a time to look for a match. When a match is found, remove the cards. The player with the most matches wins.

Word Ordering

Put these words in alphabetical order.

Christmas Trivia

Example: True or False: If you add up all the gifts given in the song the Twelve Days of Christmas there are 364 total gifts.

The Beginning

Match each letter to the picture with the same beginning sound.

How It Came To Be

Federal offices and many businesses close. Typical traditions include getting together with family and sharing a large meal. Traditional foods include turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, and pumpkin pie.

Circle the pictures that go with with this holiday.

Gratitude Haiku

Write a haiku poem about gratitude, or something that you are thankful for.

Feast Acrostic Poem

Students examine the aspects of a feast.

Thanksgiving Acrostic Poem

Students examine the significance of Thanksgiving.

Turkey Acrostic Poem

Students examine the symbolism of a turkey.

Alphabetic Order

Arrange the words: yams, grateful, turkey, bounty, maize, wattle, harvest, voyage, cranberry, Puritan

Bingo Cards

A series of six bingo cards for you to have fun with.

Keep your pages straight with these themed bookmarks.

Visual Crossword

Determine the words that make the most sense for you.

Organize your thoughts about this holiday in one place.

Thanksgiving Maze

Help the hunters find their way to the turkey.

Complete the words by placing the correct letter in the blank.

Border Paper

Border paper with a Turkey Day theme.

Border paper with wild turkeys.

Put all these words together and some overlap.

Word Scramble

Unscramble the letters of the Thanksgiving words.

Word Search

Where are these dozen words in the puzzle?

A dozen pages to bring the vocabulary to life for you in your classroom.

What are you thankful for?

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect about your life, and take the time to feel and express gratitude. What are you thankful for this year? Write a sentence about each thing you are thankful for.

Write all those words on the line.

Find the Thanksgiving related words in the puzzle. Write each word you find on a line.

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The History Of Thanksgiving Worksheet

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Here is a fun way to teach your students all about Thanksgiving and how it became the holiday we all know and love! Students will learn about the Pilgrims journey to America, the very first Thanksgiving, and how thanksgiving has changed over the years. This product includes a 13 slide Power Point presentation all about how Thanksgiving became a holiday. In addition, it also includes a worksheet page with questions directly related to the power point. Get a closer look at this product by looking at the preview.

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