Thanksgiving Parties for 1st Grade

Put on a short play during the Thanksgiving party.

Any 1st grader would be delighted to have a class Thanksgiving party, but an event like this does take some planning. Get planning tips as well as suggestions for decorations and fun activities the children will enjoy.

Planning Tips for the Thanksgiving Party

The class Thanksgiving party is usually planned by the teacher and at least one room parent who helps coordinate everything.

About two weeks ahead of the party, the teacher and the room parent should discuss the party and decide how long it's going to last and which activities and treats will be offered to the 1st graders.
No less than one week ahead of the party, it's time for the room parent to contact other parents from the class to ask if they can donate specific items for the party.
Parents need to know exactly how many of each item is needed so there are no shortages and no child is left out.
The room parent should also line up one or two more parents to attend the party and help out as needed.

Since this holiday also provides an excellent opportunity for the children to learn a little about their country's history, the morning of party day could be devoted to learning about the Pilgrims and how they came to America, and then the party can take place later in the afternoon.

Food

The party food can be as simple as cookies and juice, or parents can supply a mini Thanksgiving dinner using sliced turkey lunch meat, corn, potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Another fun idea would be to show the children the Peanuts special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and then recreate Snoopy's dinner of popcorn, buttered toast, pretzel sticks and jelly beans.

Whatever you serve, go around the room and give each child an opportunity to share something he or she is thankful for. This really emphasizes the true spirit of the this holiday.

Decorations

Here are some decorating suggestions that will give the room a real Thanksgiving atmosphere. It's best to have the children make their own decorations a few days ahead of time, but you might also like to have them make one decoration as a craft activity during the party.

Choose the decorations for the party based on colors associated with a Thanksgiving harvest, namely orange, red, yellow, brown and gold.
These colors can be used in cut-outs or 3-D pop-ups in the shape of turkeys, cornucopias, Pilgrim's hats, corn, etc.
They can also be incorporated through children's handmade crafts, such as turkeys made out of children's hands or coloring pages with a Thanksgiving theme.
For simple table decorations, cover tables with brown or yellow paper, and add real mini pumpkins with fall leaves scattered around the base of each pumpkin.
Tie orange, brown and yellow helium balloons to the back of each child's chair.
Let children create their own placemats by either having them color Thanksgiving pictures or gluing real autumn leaves to construction paper. You can then laminate each sheet to create a placemat.
Place one or two hay bales in the corner of the classroom, and group large and small pumpkins, dried Indian corn and gourds on and around the bales.
Let each child make his or her place card as well. Cut out small squares of construction paper in fall colors, and have each child print his or her name. Then, stamp or color pumpkins or Pilgrim's hats around the corners of the card, and laminate to create a place card.

Games and Activities

Choose only the Thanksgiving games and activities that you have the space and the time for during the party. Thanksgiving parties for 1st grader can become quite boisterous, especially in a large class.

Act Like a Turkey

For this game, let children make tail feathers and beaks in the days before the upcoming party. They can use construction paper, markers and glue sticks to create the beaks and the feathers. Cut short pieces of elastic and staple those to the feathers and beaks so the children can easily slide them onto their bodies. Let kids take turns acting like a turkey as they gobble, flap and waddle around the room. It's even more fun if you can find a copy of Turkey in the Straw to play while the children dance around like turkeys.

Corncob Relay

In this game, children are divided into teams, and each team forms a line.

The first person on each team is given a corncob which each child holds using only his or her chin and neck.
That person must then pass the corn to the next person without either child using their hands.
When the teacher signals go, the children must pass the corncob from one person to the next until it reaches the end of the line. If the corncob falls to the ground, the team must start over from the beginning of the line and pass it again.
Whichever team successfully passes the corn through all the members first, wins.

Thanksgiving Trivia

The teacher can prepare a trivia game ahead of time and base it on the morning's lesson plans. Divide the class into teams, and let kids take turns answering simple questions about this period in America's history.

Pilgrim Play

In classrooms with additional time for the party, a short play can be put on for parents or other classrooms. Have each child read or memorize one sentence about the holiday and read it in front of the class in a traditional costume. This allows all the children to participate equally and keeps the activities moving along.

Keep Things Simple

You could certainly hold an elaborate Thanksgiving party if you have enough parent help to pull it off, but it's really not necessary. At this age, 1st graders are easily entertained, and their party should include some free time for them to socialize with each other. You want to strike a nice balance between free time and just enough supervised activities to keep the party in hand and fun for everyone.