Thanksgiving Classroom Projects to Engage & Inspire Your Students 🦃🍂

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and it’s the perfect opportunity to bring some creativity, history, and hands-on learning into your classroom! If you’re looking to spice up your fall curriculum with interactive, engaging, and standards-aligned projects, I’ve got a few ideas that will make learning fun for your students (and take the pressure off your planning!). From designing parade floats to planning Thanksgiving dinners, these projects are designed to help students dive into meaningful learning while building essential skills. Here’s a peek at what’s new and Thanksgiving-ready in my store!

1. Build a Parade Float Project-Based Learning Unit 🎉🚚

Bring the excitement of a Thanksgiving parade to your classroom with this Build a Parade Float Project! In this PBL unit, students get to design their very own parade float, using math, creativity, and teamwork to bring their vision to life. They’ll work within a fictional $500 budget, create a scaled design, and even present their floats to the class.

Why It’s Perfect for Thanksgiving:Think of the excitement around Thanksgiving parades—this project lets students design their own, giving them a taste of what goes into planning a big event. Plus, they’ll explore different float themes, from cultural to holiday-inspired designs, which adds a dose of history and creativity. It’s ideal for fostering teamwork, critical thinking, and hands-on math skills!

What’s Included:

• Budgeting and scaling activities

• Float design inspiration passages

• Reflection questions and presentation rubrics

  
  

2. First Thanksgiving Research Unit (5th-6th Grade) 📜🍂

Dive into the history of Thanksgiving with this comprehensive First Thanksgiving Research Unit! Perfect for grades 5-6, this ready-to-print packet is full of engaging reading passages, vocabulary, and even math problems tied to real-world Thanksgiving scenarios. It’s designed to be flexible—use it for emergency sub plans, independent work, or even as part of your core social studies unit.

Why It’s Perfect for Thanksgiving:Students will not only learn about the origins of Thanksgiving but will also explore how math and science relate to historical contexts. With everything from reading comprehension to real-world math problems, this unit makes it easy to integrate multiple subjects in a meaningful way.

What’s Included:

• Reading comprehension passages and graphic organizers

• Real-world math story problems and descriptive writing activities

• BONUS virtual field trip and science activity

  
  

3. Plan a Thanksgiving Dinner Project-Based Learning Unit 🍽️📝

For a unique twist on Thanksgiving learning, check out the Plan a Thanksgiving Dinner PBL Unit! Students will develop essential life skills as they plan every detail of a Thanksgiving dinner—from creating a theme and budgeting to designing an invitation and presenting the plan. This project is designed to mimic real-life planning and business skills, giving students a taste of project management.

Why It’s Perfect for Thanksgiving:This project taps into students’ creativity while building their practical math, research, and presentation skills. By the end, students will have planned their own dinner party and created a “pitch” for their classmates. It’s the perfect way to engage students who enjoy creative projects and want to take ownership of their learning!

What’s Included:

• Step-by-step outline for planning the dinner party

• Menu planning, cost analysis, and invitation design

• Rubric and tips for a final presentation to the class
  

4. Plan a Pumpkin Festival Project-Based Learning Unit 🎃🍁

Add some festive fall flair to your classroom with the Plan a Pumpkin Festival PBL Unit! This project-based learning activity has students design their own festival booth centered around a pumpkin theme. Whether they’re exploring recipes, learning about giant pumpkins, or crafting unique booth designs, students will gain hands-on experience in research, reading comprehension, and teamwork.

Why It’s Perfect for Thanksgiving & Fall:This is a great project for blending seasonal fun with academic skills. The themed reading passages and creative tasks let students explore everything “pumpkin,” while learning about historical, cultural, and scientific perspectives. By working in teams, students also develop collaboration and presentation skills!

What’s Included:

• Informational passages on pumpkin-themed topics

• Brochure templates for designing their booth

• Clear rubrics and goals to guide the project process

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Each of these resources provides a unique way to bring Thanksgiving and fall themes into the classroom while building real-world skills. Whether you’re focused on math, history, creativity, or teamwork, these projects offer something for every learning style. Best of all, they’re designed to be easy to implement—just print and go, with step-by-step directions that make it easy for you and engaging for students!

Looking to add a seasonal twist to your lessons this Thanksgiving? These projects are ready to go and perfect for a memorable, hands-on learning experience that your students will love. Let’s make this Thanksgiving season one filled with creativity, curiosity, and collaboration! 🍂