78 Simple and Fun Thanksgiving Writing Prompts

Thanksgiving Writing Prompts and Ideas for Elementary Kids— When you’re making your own list of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, be sure to include the joy on the faces of your students as they journal. 

That’s right!

With an effective list of elementary writing prompts, journaling is a wonderful tool for students to explore their thought processes and work on their communication skills.

Yes. You can…

Give your students something to be thankful for during Thanksgiving time with this list of 78 Thanksgiving writing prompts and journal ideas, especially for this uniquely American holiday.

You see…

Elementary students — and students of many grades — can enjoy these prompts throughout the fall and before Thanksgiving, as they remember to appreciate the gifts in their lives, as well as the power of journaling.

Now…

Your elementary students will be inspired to think about the things in their lives they are grateful for, as well as pushed to develop ways to give back to others. They’ll also enjoy stretching their imaginations by considering what living on the Mayflower would have been like, or describing the crunchiness of crisp fall leaves.

Thanksgiving is a perfect time of year to engage the imaginations of school kids and encourage them to get creative with their writing practice. Treat your students to these fun Thanksgiving elementary writing ideas and encourage them to get extra creative with these exciting writing starters!

Elementary Writing 78 Thanksgiving Writing Prompts for Kids

1. My favorite fall desserts
2. The ten things I’m most thankful for
3. Where does your family go on Thanksgiving?
4. The best color of leaves
5. If you could have any guest at Thanksgiving, who would it be?
6. What if the pilgrims hadn’t come to America?
7. Watching the football games on Thanksgiving
8. Favorite Thanksgiving pie
9. When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of…
10. My favorite thing to do on Thanksgiving
11. Having a scarecrow join you at dinner
12. The best kind of pumpkins
13. My favorite part of fall
14. What does your family do after Thanksgiving dinner?
15. Raking leaves
16. The best Thanksgiving dish
17. Do you go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving?
18. The hardest part of waiting for Thanksgiving dinner
19. Does your family have a cornucopia?
20. The first Thanksgiving
21. Thanksgiving decorations
22. Would you want to have a Thanksgiving dinner every year?
23. Does your family have any Christmas preparations on Thanksgiving (picking secret Santa names), etc.?
24. If you were a pilgrim for a day
25. How could I help someone less fortunate on Thanksgiving?
26. How can I show people that I am thankful for them?
27. My family’s Thanksgiving traditions
28. What if the turkey got burned?
29. What if you lived in a teepee?
30. Watching squirrels collect acorns
31. Is it mean to eat the turkey?
32. The best Thanksgiving ever was when…
33. If crows could talk, what would they say?
    
34. Would you ever have Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant?
35. Is Thanksgiving too early to start playing Christmas music?
36. This week, I will thank three people for…
37. Describe the smell of pumpkin pie.
38. Playing outside before Thanksgiving dinner
39. Would you rather have been a pilgrim or a Native American at the first Thanksgiving?
40. Do you cook anything on Thanksgiving?
41. How do people show their thankfulness to me?
42. I like (or don’t like) Thanksgiving because…
43. Does your family ever eat ham instead of turkey?
44. What would you put in your cornucopia?
45. Who could you invite to Thanksgiving dinner?
46. Describe the feeling of jumping in a pile of leaves.
47. What are my pets thankful for?
48. For countries that don’t have Thanksgiving, how could they celebrate gratitude?
49. My favorite Thanksgiving story
50. Finding creative ways to give thanks
51. What would it have been like to sail on the Mayflower?
52. The best way to be helpful on Thanksgiving
53. What does family mean to you?
54. My favorite fall scent
55. What if you had no Thanksgiving dinner?
56. Why aren’t there Thanksgiving songs?
57. Things I can do to show my gratitude for the earth
58. What kind of cranberries are best: jellied or berries?
59. How many turkeys does your family cook on Thanksgiving?
60. Does anyone in your family put their Christmas tree up on Thanksgiving?
61. I am most grateful for…
62. Are caramel apples or candied apples better?
63. Have you ever seen it snow on Thanksgiving?
64. How would I explain Thanksgiving to someone in another country?
65. The best part of Thanksgiving break
66. Are there any colors that remind you of fall?
67. If I could go back in time to the first Thanksgiving, I would bring…
68. Who carves the turkey in your family?
69. My earliest Thanksgiving memory
70. What do turkeys use their feathers for?
71. What would it be like to be a turkey?
72. On Thanksgiving, my family’s house looks…
73. Describe a typical Thanksgiving day for your family.
74. How could I influence people around me to show gratitude?
75. The best part of fall is…
76. How many people are around your table on Thanksgiving?
77. The history of Thanksgiving (and the pilgrims, Native Americans, etc..)
78. Five things I am thankful to have that I could never live without

I hope you and your students enjoyed these Thanksgiving writing prompts as much as I enjoyed creating them. Please use them in your lessons, classrooms, and assignments as and you see fit with your young writers.

Gobble Gobble!

93 More Thanksgiving Writing Fun and Topic Ideas

• Thanksgiving Activities and 10 Bonus Writing Prompts
• 53 Thanksgiving Journal Prompts
• 30 Month of November Prompts on Gratitude and gift-giving

Until next time, write on…

If you enjoyed these Thanksgiving Writing Prompts for Elementary Students, please share them on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest.
I appreciate it!

Sincerely,
Jill
journalbuddies.com
creator and curator

PS – Check out these Thanksgiving-themed free printable worksheets!