It is time to Give Thanks…and not just on one day.
MMMM, Thanksgiving, that time of year when we think about all that we have to be thankful for when loved ones are around, and the food! Remember to look back to our Fall Activities for any items you didn’t get to do yet.
GAMES
Pin the Feather on the Turkey
This is a holiday take on an old favorite – here is a free version
Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt
Hide Thanksgiving-themed trinkets around a room (pumpkin, leaves, football, flannel blanket, scarecrow, squash, pilgrim, corn, etc.) If you don’t have any, then simply print Thanksgiving pictures from your computer. Set a time limit and the person who finds the most items is the winner.
Board Game Tournament
Make it exciting and draw up a bracket to show how each person is advancing to the championship game!
Rip It Up
Give each participant a piece of fall-colored construction paper. The challenge is to see who can tear the paper into the shape of a turkey the best and quickest.
CRAFTS
Leaf Bookmark
Have residents pick up leaves of different colors and shapes (feathers and dried flowers work too), glue the items to parchment paper, and run them through a laminator. Makes a perfect size to mail!
Gnomes
Empty creamer bottles, use stones or rice to weigh them down, fur (for the beard), a sock (for the hat), and a wooden ball (for the nose)- make these easy super cute gnomes. Remember, depending on your sock or the color of the beard, this craft can be adapted for any seasonal holiday!
Our Thankful Tree Door Hanger
Below is a bare tree, the residents can add leaves daily to their tree for things they are thankful for. It will be a full month of “Thankfulness”
Craft
Put this sweet simple craft together with the printed instructions here in a zip lock baggy and deliver it to your residents. They’ll have fun crafting their own turkey!
CONVERSATION STARTERS
We’ve provided an extensive list of gratitude starters in our activity booklet. You can use these several ways:
- Print some on cards and use them with your placecards at the table
- As 1:1
- Print them out for family members that may visit as well.
Print them on strips and make chains, everyday pull one off until Christmas, use a sharing time.
MUSIC PLAYLISTS
- Sweet Darlin’, She & Him
- I’ve Got Plenty to be Thankful For, Bing Crosby
- Danke Schoen, Wayne Newton
- The Long Way Home, Nora Jones
- Pumpkin Pie, The California Honeydrops
- Comin’ Home Baby, Mel Torme
- Everybody Eats When They Come to My House, Cab Calloway & His Orchestra
- The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy), Simon & Garfunkel
- All That Meat and No Potatoes, Louis Armstrong
- We’re Going to Be Friends, The White Stripes
- Harvest Moon, Neil Young
- Thanksgiving Dinner, Vince Guaraldi Trio
- Home, Michael Buble
- Come Away With Me, Norah Jones
- Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep, Bing Crosby
- The Good Life, Tony Bennett
- Here We Go Again, Ray Charles, Norah Jones
- Great Pumpkin Waltz, Vince Guaraldi Trio
THANKSGIVING MOVIE LIST
- A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) TV-G, Animation
- Garfield’s Thanksgiving (1989) TV-G, Animation
- Avalon (1990) PG, Drama
- You’ve Got Mail (1998) PG, Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Tower Heist (2011) PG-13, Action, Comedy, Crime
- Alice’s Restaurant (1969) GP, Comedy, Drama, Music
- Knives Out (2019) PG-13, Comedy, Crime, Drama
- Soul Food (1997) R, Comedy, Drama
- The Myth of Fingerprints (1997) R, Comedy Drama, Romance
- The Blind Side (2009) PG-13, Biography, Drama, Sports
- Addams Family Values (1993) PG-13, Comedy, Fantasy
- For Your Consideration (2006) PG-13, Comedy
- What’s Cooking? (2000) PG-13, Comedy, Drama, Romance
- North by Northwest (1959) NR, Adventure, Mystery, Thriller
- Rocky (1976) PG, Drama, Sport
- Miracle on 34th Street (1994) PG Family, Fantasy
- Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) PG-13, Comedy, Drama
- Dutch (1991) PG-13, Comedy, Drama
- Grumpy Old Men (1993) PG-13, Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Home For The Holidays (1995) PG-13, Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Pieces of April (2003), PG-13, Comedy, Drama
- Hollidaysburg (2014) NR, Comedy
- Sweet November (2001) PG-13, Drama, Romance
- Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow (2015) TV-PG, Adventure, Comedy, Family
YOUTUBE VIDEOS
Printable Products for Give Thanks
Check out printable products!
