Free Thanksgiving worksheets for children, with seven printable activities that use real Thanksgiving words, from turkey and pumpkin pie to harvest, family and gratitude. Print a word search in three levels, bingo cards, a word scramble, a “how many words can you make” page, an acrostic poem, a writing prompt and a fold-up Thanksgiving card, each with an answer key where one is needed.
Thanksgiving worksheets to print (PDF)
These four pages show what the Thanksgiving maker prints: a medium word search with a word list, two bingo cards on a page, an acrostic poem for the letters of THANKFUL, and the fold-up card that says “Happy Thanksgiving!” Click a picture for the PDF.
Prefer one download? Grab the ready-made Thanksgiving activity pack (PDF), which has every page in one file.
About Thanksgiving: the holiday at a glance
A little background makes the words on the page mean more. Here are the basic facts that go with these Thanksgiving worksheets:
| Date | The fourth Thursday in November in the US; the second Monday in October in Canada |
|---|---|
| Made a national holiday | 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, and set to the fourth Thursday by Congress in 1941 |
| Famous feast | A harvest meal shared by the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag people in 1621 |
| Foods | Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes and pumpkin pie |
| Other traditions | Parades, football and travelling to see family |
| Main idea | Giving thanks for the harvest and for each other |
The story of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving in the United States is a day to give thanks and share a meal. Many people trace it to a harvest feast in 1621 at Plymouth in Massachusetts, shared between the English colonists and the Wampanoag people, who had helped them survive. Wampanoag history is an important part of the story, and many schools now teach both sides.
Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving in 1863, and in 1941 Congress set the date as the fourth Thursday in November. Canada celebrates its own Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. For families today the holiday is mainly about food, gratitude and time together.
Wikipedia’s Thanksgiving article describes the history and the traditions of the holiday.
What is in the Thanksgiving activity pack?
Every activity uses the same list of 24 Thanksgiving words, so children meet each word several times in different ways. The list is the heart of these Thanksgiving worksheets: the word search hides it, the scramble mixes it up, the bingo calls it out and the writing prompt asks children to use it.
Thanksgiving word search: three levels
The word search comes in easy, medium and hard grids, with 10, 14 and 18 words from the list.
The longest Thanksgiving word is cornucopia with 10 letters, and the shortest word is pie with 3.
Thanksgiving vocabulary: words to talk about
Take a few minutes to talk about the words before children search for them. These eight are a good place to start:
| Word | Letters | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| harvest | 7 | Gathering crops when they are ripe |
| cornucopia | 10 | A horn-shaped basket overflowing with fruit and vegetables |
| grateful | 8 | Feeling thankful |
| feast | 5 | A large and special meal |
| stuffing | 8 | A savory mix of bread and herbs cooked with the turkey |
| cranberry | 9 | A tart red berry made into sauce |
| blessing | 8 | A short prayer or good wish said before a meal |
| gravy | 5 | A sauce made from meat juices |
The other 16 words in the list are turkey, pie, pumpkin, family, thankful, corn, potatoes, autumn, leaves, november, parade, football, share, dinner, table and apple.
How people celebrate Thanksgiving
- Sharing a large meal with family and friends
- Saying what you are thankful for around the table
- Watching parades and football
- Helping at a food bank or giving to others
- Traveling to visit relatives
Thanksgiving activities for kids to do with the worksheets
Pair the printed pages with a hands-on idea, and the vocabulary sticks:
- Thankful list: use the prompt to list five things you are thankful for and explain one of them.
- Gratitude tree: write thank-you notes on paper leaves and hang them on a branch.
- Table place cards: make a name card for each guest, with a thankful word on the back.
- Cranberry science: float cranberries in water and see how many bounce.
- Thankful acrostic: write THANKFUL down the page and add a word for each letter.
How to use these Thanksgiving worksheets in five minutes
The thanksgiving worksheets maker works from the 24-word Thanksgiving list, so whichever page you print uses the same words. Choose an activity, set the level and press Download PDF or Print, and press New puzzles for a fresh set.
Thanksgiving worksheets: frequently asked questions
When is Thanksgiving?
In the US it is on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada it is the second Monday of October.
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
It is a day to give thanks for the harvest and for the people in our lives. Many people link it to a harvest feast in 1621 between the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag.
What ages are the Thanksgiving worksheets for?
Ages 4 to 10. The card, bingo and acrostic suit younger children, and the word search and scramble suit grades 1 to 5.
Thanksgiving printables: find the right page
Thankful writing prompt
The thankful writing prompt asks children to list five things they are thankful for and explain one of them, which makes a lovely table card or a class display.
Thanksgiving word search printable
The thanksgiving word search printable comes in easy, medium and hard grids with 10, 14 and 18 words, and an answer key page for each, so one sheet can suit a whole class.
More holiday worksheets
- Fall worksheets
- Christmas worksheets
- Halloween worksheets
- All holiday worksheets for 22 holidays and seasons
- Word search generator for your own words
- Bingo card generator for custom cards