Thanksgiving Zone

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
I Thessalonians 5:18

Gobble up these Thanksgiving Ideas for home and classroom! Families don't miss 22 Great Family Thanksgiving Ideas and if you are having a special event, you have got to play the Thanksgiving PIT Game! Want to remind kids of the origin of this American holiday? Don't expect them to hear George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation at school!

A fun object lesson using "thankful" scriptures to stuff a turkey.

This is the Thanksgiving lesson we will be doing in Children's Church this year. Feel free to use whatever pieces would be helpful to you :)

The story of Luke 17:11-19 being acted out

A humorous story of a reformed parrot.

A mom and dad share some of their favorite Thanksgiving family traditions.

Meal or class idea using a kernel of corn as a reminder to be thankful for what we have.

This is a complete Thanksgiving lesson including an Ice Breaker, a skit, and a puppet script.

Not many people realize that Abraham Lincoln created Thanksgiving and made it an official holiday. Here is the speech from when he did it.

Children submit recipes explaining how their mothers cooked Thanksgiving dishes. Comical.

Make a turkey craft using a rubber glove.

Poem about being thankful for every situation you're facing.

Umbongo is an African word which means a present which we give to another person to express our thanks to them. Why not bring an Umbongo this Sunday as you come to Sunday School?

An idea for an early Thanksgiving service at church.

A cornucopia made out of paper plates which has a pocket full of thanks.

Raising money to feed the homeless

Every Thanksgiving, our third graders make a Cornucopia basket and fruit from construction paper. This can be done for the whole month, even as a side project from the regular lesson, or it can be the lesson itself.

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor...

Throughout our nation’s history there have been champions of freedom who bore a dramatic influence in the rise of freedom in America.

Several older Kids create a poem using pre-selected words and read it to the class. The class votes for a winner. (Attached via PowerPoint)

Everyone comes dressed in their PJ's for a fun night of games & devotion.

Kids trace their hand and write things for which they are thankful.

Place stickers on each other and tell why you are thankful.

Good review lesson. Children stuff sweatshirt with balloons if they answer correctly.

The Bible say's in Ephesians 5:20 "Always give thanks to God for everything. This lesson reminds us how blessed we truly are and that we must give thanks to God for all things both big and small.

After a year of prayer, we gave thanks for God's goodness to us.

Relecting on all the things we have to be thankful for. Allow time to let the children interact. A thankful heart makes Jesus very happy.

The Food Pantry Coordinator of our church wanted to assist needy families with Thanksgiving food baskets of love. To help collect items for this event, the teenagers went on a scavenger hunt to collect non-perishable food items and/or money donations.

Things you may not know about the history of Thanksgiving that you can use to teach.

Use letters in your name to begin things for which you are thankful.

This is a Thanksgiving version of the popular game by Parker Brothers: PIT, and the kids will gobble it up!

A Thanksgiving Praise Service can serve as a time of praise and worship for your congregation, as well as a meaningful outreach.

A Thanksgiving idea for outreach to the community.

Use this word search to teach children a verse about giving thanks.

A fun trivia game that can be used around Thanksgiving.

Have fun finding children's names from your ministry while teaching Bible verses.

Thanksgiving word search idea that will work for both young and old.

Historical Records of the First Thanksgiving

Kids add leaves with things they are grateful for daily at home or weekly at church to a tree on the wall. By Thanksgiving, they have a visual of how many things they have to be thankful for.

Lots of miscellaneous facts about the bird we all love to eat this time of year.

A dart game in which you either win prizes or have a task to do.

Family (or classroom) craft idea to thank God for blessings on others.

This is an object lesson that I used right before Thanksgiving. It reminds us how much we have to be thankful for.