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!

Submit an Idea

‹ Back to Zones
Membership Levels:
Guest Starter All Access
Level Title Topic
Starter Candy Pancake Breakfast Super Sunday

Host a CANDY PANCAKE BREAKFAST for the kids! It’s something they will LOVE, TALK ABOUT, and LOOK FORWARD TO, and even BRING A FRIEND!

Fun, Stand-Alone Lesson on Thankfulness
All Access Balloon Sculpting with Pastor Brett - Part 19: Turkey

Pastor Brett Belleque will be presenting a series to help children's workers learn how to sculpt FUN with balloons!

Balloon Training
All Access Balloon Sculpting with Pastor Brett - Part 33: Turkey Leg

Pastor Brett Belleque will be presenting a series to help children's workers learn how to sculpt FUN with balloons!

Balloon Training
Free Operation: Thanks Thanksgiving Super Sunday

A Thanksgiving lesson by Karl Bastian & Tom Bump that challenges kids to show thanks in creative ways. 

Thanksgiving
All Access Saying THANKS

It's never too late to say thanks. "It's time to dig out those thank you cards," writes Pastor Karl Bastian, the Kidologist. "You better 'make your list, and check it twice' - because if you forget someone, it won't be nice!"

Thanksgiving
All Access The Complaining Game

Help kids turn complaints around and see the positive.

Complaining
All Access 22 Great Family Thanksgiving Ideas

A mom and dad share 22 of their favorite Thanksgiving family traditions.

Thanksgiving
All Access 3 Paper Craft Ideas for Thanksgiving

Paper Crafts for Teaching Thankfulness to Kids  

Crafts, Thanksgiving
All Access 5 Ways To Teach Kids Thankfulness

Thankfulness goes beyond the words and phrases we use. 

Thankfulness
All Access 7 Ways to Welcome Guests for the Holidays

How you welcome your holiday guests is a powerful tool in your arsenal of customer service offerings. Keep in mind: you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Welcome, Guests, Holidays
All Access A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Movie Devotional

Thanksgiving Sunday PJ Day. Using A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie, explain that God keeps His P-romises and remind them that no matter what life throws our way, He brings J-oy to our life!

Thanksgiving Lesson Idea
All Access A Few Things About Gratitude

What are you grateful for today?

Thanksgiving, Gratitude
All Access Preparing for Special Needs Kids

Are you prepared for special needs kids in your ministry? Here are 10 tips to help you!

Special Needs
All Access Proverbs Bible Lesson: God Gives Us Everything

The following lesson is taken from a Proverbs series.  The children discover that we can have an attitude of generous giving when we remember that God has given us everything.

Generous Giving
All Access Stuffed Turkey

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

A Thankful Turkey
All Access Thankful Hearts Lesson

Here is a fall-themed midweek outreach lesson plan that includes a 19-page Word doc with activities that can be used at any time during the year.

Fall-Themed Outreach Lesson Plan
All Access Thankfulness No Matter What: A Bible Lesson about Jehoshaphat

Want to teach the children in your ministry about thankfulness? This lesson on Jehoshaphat from 2 Chronicles 20 will help them learn the importance of being thankful, no matter what!

Thankfulness, Children's Ministry
Starter Thanksgiving Jokes

Some Thanksgiving themed jokes to help with your teaching, skits or puppet routines.

Thanksgiving Jokes
All Access Thanksgiving Lesson

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 :)

Thankfulness
All Access Thanksgiving Lesson for Children's Church

This Bible lesson from Psalm 100:4-5 about Thanksgiving was first used in our Sunday morning children’s church with Kindergarten – 6th grade students. It could also work as a Thanksgiving Sunday School lesson or any other children’s ministry teaching time.

Thankfulness, Children's Ministry
All Access Thanksgiving Puppet Script

Check out this awesome Thanksgiving Puppet Script, which is designed to teach children a lesson on thankfulness!

Thanksgiving
All Access The 10 Lepers

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

Thanksgiving, thankfulness
All Access The Parrot

A humorous story of a reformed parrot.

Change in Attitude
All Access What Are You Thankful For?

Here is an object lesson for Thanksgiving to remind us how much we have to be thankful for!

Thankfulness
Starter Oreo Turkeys

An easy fun snack-craft for Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Craft Snack
All Access A Kernel of Thanks

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

Thankgiving
All Access A Thanksgiving Lesson

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

Thanksgiving
Starter Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

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

Thanksgiving
All Access After Thanksgiving Cookbook

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

Thanksgiving
All Access Balloon Turkey

Make a turkey craft using a rubber glove.

Thanksgiving
All Access Be Thankful

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

Gratitude
All Access Bring an Umbongo!

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?

Thanksgiving
All Access Celebrate a little early

An idea for an early Thanksgiving service at church.

Giving Thanks
All Access Cornucopia of Thanks

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

Thanksgiving
All Access Feeding the Homeless

Raising money to feed the homeless

Incentives
All Access Fruits of the Spirit Cornucopia

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.

Galatians 5:22
Starter George Washington 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation

George Washington 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation full text and background information

Thanksgiving
All Access HEROES OF THANKSGIVING

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

Thanksgiving
All Access Holiday Poem Contest

Holidays / Fun
All Access PJ Bash

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

Fun alternate Thanksgiving activity
All Access PreSchool Craft/Turkey Thanks

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

Thanksgiving
All Access Sticker Fun

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

Thanksgiving
All Access Stuffed Turkey

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

Thanksgiving
All Access Thank God for the Big and Small

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.

Thanksgiving Object Lesson
All Access Thanks Mural

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

Thanksgiving
All Access Thanksgiving

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.

Thankfulness
All Access Thanksgiving Food Scavenger Hunt

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.

Thanksgiving
All Access Thanksgiving Myths and Other Facts

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

Thanksgiving
All Access Thanksgiving Name Acronym of Thanks

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

Thanksgiving
All Access Thanksgiving PIT Game

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

Thanksgiving Game
it Bible Curriculum Protect My Ministry 2023 KidCheck Stars Gospel Colors U-Turn Cards Gospel Presentation Andy and the Ants My Awesome Adventure DiscipleTown Unit 10 - How to Explain My Faith The Great Adventure Cards Kidology Online Training
Kidology Curriculum

Kids Church Lessons
written by the Kidologist!

Kidology on Facebook