Thanksgiving Writing Prompts for Kindergarten
As we approach Thanksgiving, it’s the perfect time to celebrate gratitude in our classrooms! Hearing children express what they’re thankful for is heartwarming, sweet, and sometimes funny! Today I’ll share some Thanksgiving writing prompts and sentence starters, plus some ready-to-go resources that pair well with them.
Why I Love to Use Writing Prompts
Writing prompts like these Thanksgiving ones are a simple yet meaningful way to bring writing practice and gratitude together. Here’s why writing prompts and sentence starters are so effective:
- Encourage independence: They’re designed to provide just enough support for most students while still allowing for creativity and independence.
- Provide a safe, developmentally-appropriate writing experience: Prompts help students focus on their ideas and one or two words instead of feeling overwhelmed by a blank page.
- Model sentence structure: Using sentence starters like “I am thankful for…” gives children a clear model for how sentences work.
- Provide authentic writing opportunities: Writing about real experiences like family or favorite things makes learning personal and meaningful.
- Build classroom community: Sharing thankful thoughts and personal experiences help students connect with one another and celebrate what makes each person special.
At this point in the year, we’re still getting comfortable putting letters on paper to form words, so I use a good amount of scaffolding during our writing lessons. For example, I use carefully-designed writing prompts and sentence starters to help students focus on writing one or two words, sometimes adding a high-frequency word in there somewhere. It’s not about perfection!
Start with a Thanksgiving Read Aloud!
Before diving into writing, read a few Thanksgiving-themed picture books together. Listening to stories about gratitude, family traditions, and turkeys helps students brainstorm ideas for their own writing.If you’re looking for great titles to read, check out my post on Thanksgiving Read Alouds for Kindergarten. You’ll find teacher-approved books that pair perfectly with these prompts and provide inspiration for meaningful writing discussions!
12 Thanksgiving Writing Prompts for Kindergarten
1. PROMPT: “What is something you are thankful for?”
SENTENCE STARTER: I am thankful for ___.
2. PROMPT: “What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?”
SENTENCE STARTER 1: I like ___.
SENTENCE STARTER 2: My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is ___.
3. PROMPT: “What is your favorite food/What is your favorite food at Thanksgiving?” (If you have students who do not celebrate Thanksgiving, just write about a favorite food!)
SENTENCE STARTER: My favorite Thanksgiving food is ___./My favorite food is ___.
4. PROMPT: “What is something you can do to help on Thanksgiving Day?”
SENTENCE STARTER: I can ___.
5. PROMPT: “Imagine you are a turkey. Where would you hide on Thanksgiving Day?”
SENTENCE STARTER: I would hide ___.
6. PROMPT: “What is one of your family’s traditions?”
SENTENCE STARTER: My family ___./We ___.
7. PROMPT: “On Thanksgiving, we celebrate being thankful. How do you feel when you tell someone ‘thank you’?”
SENTENCE STARTER: I feel ___.
8. PROMPT: “Think about who you would like to have at your Thanksgiving table. If you could invite anyone, who would it be?”
SENTENCE STARTER: I would invite ___
9. PROMPT: “We feel thankful for people and things in our lives. Think of a time when you feel thankful.” (This is a good place to offer some examples or refer to a read aloud!)
SENTENCE STARTER: I feel thankful when ___.
10. PROMPT: “Around the holidays, I like to spend time with my family. What is something you like to do with your family?”
SENTENCE STARTER 1: My family likes to ___.
SENTENCE STARTER 2: My favorite thing to do with my family is ___.
11. PROMPT: “Many people celebrate Thanksgiving by making special food. If you cooked something, what would it be?”
SENTENCE STARTER: I would make ___.
12. PROMPT: “We have talked about different ways people celebrate Thanksgiving. Think about a time when you celebrated Thanksgiving. How did you feel?”
SENTENCE STARTER: Thanksgiving makes me feel ___.
How to Use Thanksgiving Writing Prompts in Your Classroom
Try these ideas to make Thanksgiving writing time meaningful and manageable:
- Writing center: Offer a simple writing prompt and provide students with a writing page.
- Whole-group lesson: Choose a prompt, perhaps after a Thanksgiving read aloud. Model a response to a prompt, such as “I am thankful for…”, and then let students write their own.
- Make a craft: Do a writing activity combined with a craft. This is something I would spread out over several days. Students can work on a graphic organizer for one or maybe two days, depending on how much time you have. Then incorporate their graphic organizer into a turkey craft or flip book!
- Class book: Combine finished pages into a “We Are Thankful” book.
Thanksgiving Writing and “I Am Thankful” Activities
Since this time of year is busy enough, I have a few resources that I’ve personally used in my classroom. It’s so helpful to have some resources on hand for those busy days leading up to the holidays.
Thanksgiving Class Book:
After completing a writing prompt about something they’re thankful for, create a class book! Class books bring so much pride to students. I have a simple cover and writing page template that is done and ready to print!
“I Am Thankful” Turkey Craft:
A turkey craft is a must-do for November! I made it easy to turn this activity into multiple days’ worth of writing lessons. Students can start with the graphic organizer to brainstorm, then they’ll craft this cute turkey. Use it for a Thanksgiving bulletin board and then send home. Families love this keepsake!
Thankful Mini Book:
Here’s another simple activity that provides structure for young writers. They will fill in the prompt on each page and draw a matching picture.
Disguise a Turkey Activity:
Have you ever done a Disguise a Turkey activity? If not, it’s a tradition that you will love! I have all the pages and templates you need to differentiate this activity for your class. Send it home or complete in your classroom! You can provide students with the prompt “My turkey is ___.” and let them complete the sentence.
Thanksgiving Directed Drawings:
These directed drawing pages are perfect for pairing with a prompt! Students can also write a simple sentence, such as “I like turkey.” or “I do not like ham.”
Enjoy these Thanksgiving Writing Prompts with Your Students!
Thanksgiving writing prompts give young learners the chance to express their thoughts and feelings in a meaningful way. With a little time and some intentional structure, you can help your students grow as writers while filling your classroom with gratitude and joy. Pair these prompts with your favorite Thanksgiving read-alouds and one of the resources above, and you’ll have everything you need for a November writing activity that your students will love!
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