Red leaves are falling, cold winds are blowing, and the world descended into chaos last week when the clocks changed – which means only one thing… Thanksgiving is just around the corner!
Here at Abridge Academy, we’ve got a bunch of fun and educational activities to sprinkle some holiday magic into your ESL classes. From crafting adorable turkey pen pots and exploring colors with leaf rubbing art to creative writing projects, these ideas are all about making English skills bloom in a festive setting. Let’s create some memorable learning moments together! 🍂
1: Turkey pen pot craft project
Want a fun craft activity students will continue to use and treasure for months or years to come? This cute turkey pen pot project taps into the thanksgiving theme, while giving them an easy way to review days of the week (or any other topic!) every time they sit down at their desk.
2: Handprint turkeys
Simple but effective! Ask your students to draw around their hands or make a handprint with paint, then turn this into fun turkey artwork. This is not only a quick craft activity to finish up your lesson, but also a great way of reviewing parts of the body!
3: Gratitude tree
One for your more advanced students, craft a tree from construction paper or on your virtual whiteboard and assist students writing the things they are thankful for to put on the leaves.
4: Thankful poetry
Help your students prepare a short poem about what they’re thankful for. Young learners could start with a simple acrostic poem or shape poem, whereas your more advanced students could craft their own limericks or sonnets!
5: Leaf rubbing art
Get your students outside exploring the textures of nature with this fun leaf rubbing art activity! As they create beautiful leaf imprints, they can also practice labelling colors and shapes, integrating vocabulary into their creative process.
6: Thanksgiving scavenger hunt
Teaching directions or prepositions of place? Hide fun hiding thanksgiving themed items around your classroom for students to find. This could be your physical teaching space, your students’ rooms (get the parents on board to help hide things before class!), your virtual whiteboard platform, or an online virtual learning world such as the Koala Go playground area.
7: Thank you cards
Nothing says “thanks” better than a hand-made, personal card. Practice letter writing skills while getting creative! Decorate your cards with harvest-themed imagery such as leaves, acorns, pinecones or corn for a festive vibe.
8: Leaf collage
Another great activity for kids who love outdoor adventures – collect leaves, small stones, twigs, acorns and more to put together a thanksgiving themed collage or room decorations. Use a situational learning approach to develop students’ English skills in context – discussing the items they can see, describing their artwork and giving instructions.
9: Thanksgiving writing prompts
Develop your students’ writing skills with a fun Thanksgiving-themed project inspired by the story or themes of Thanksgiving! Here are some quick prompt ideas:
- Story prompt: the Thanksgiving turkey escapes
- Letter writing: thank you letter to a teacher
- News article: write about your school Thanksgiving activities
- Poster: promote a Thanksgiving parade or party
10: Thanksgiving bookmark craft
Want to inspire your students to enjoy reading? Create cute autumnal bookmarks decorated with leaves, turkeys, hedgehogs and other fall-themed imagery. On the back, add a space for students to record the books they’ve read – you could even make it a competition between your students to read five books before winter!
Are you inspired?
So there you have it – 10 creative craft activities that bring joy to your online ESL classes while nurturing language skills!
Looking for pre-made lesson slides, activity guides and workbooks for your festive themed classes? Get started with the Abridge Academy curriculum for free today!