Thanksgiving Activities Prompts

Try these 6 different mini-prompts to develop activities for exploring the holiday with your students

History of the Holiday

Prompt: Create a timeline of how Thanksgiving has evolved since 1621. Include different cultural perspectives.

Example: Create a timeline for how Thanksgiving has evolved since 1621. Include the perspective of the Wampanoag people, immigrants in the 19th century, and Indigenous youth from today.

Showing Gratitude

Prompt: Create 5 unique ways for me to show gratitude for [my teacher, friends, family, etc.].

Example: Create 5 unique ways for me to show gratitude to my teacher for all she does to help me learn. She is extremely patient and always listens to me.

Service Projects

Prompt: Help me create a service project idea that teaches the importance of giving back and helping those in need.

Example: Help me create a service project idea that teaches the importance of giving back and helping those in need in my small town that has a large community of elderly people living alone.

Indigenous Perspectives

Prompt: Provide a fictional first-person narrative on the first Thanksgiving from the perspective of the Wampanoag people.

Example: Provide a fictional first-person narrative on the first Thanksgiving from the perspective of the Wamponoag people with a focus on their perspectives of the pilgrims and how they adapted their traditional Harvest celebrations for the settlers.

New Traditions

Prompt: Brainstorm new traditions for Thanksgiving based on [student interests, cultural backgrounds, etc.].

Example: Brainstorm new traditions for Thanksgiving that promote sustainability.

Creative Feasts

Prompt: Create a thanksgiving meal based on [specific historical times, cultures, dietary needs].

Example: Create a Thanksgiving meal based on what was available in the 1850’s in New York City.

For additional ideas to make the prompt work for you and get more creative, check out the full Thanksgiving Activities prompt page.