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November is a whirlwind of a month in the kindergarten classroom! Fall is in full swing, the days are getting cooler and there are several days off on the calendar. This is why it’s so helpful to have some engaging activities ready for your November lesson plans. In this post, I’m going to share some of my favorite seasonal kindergarten activities for November.
The kindergarten classroom is a busy place in November! Your learning routine has been up and running for at least two months and your students have been learning at lightning speed! They could use additional practice and review of the concepts they’ve been learning since the beginning of the year.
November also tends to be a shorter month with days off for Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. Depending on your district, November might also be a month when your students miss days for conferences.
With so much to review and learn in November, it’s helpful to have some engaging activities in your toolbox to add to your November lesson plans. You’ll be able to make the most of the time you have with your students!
These activities are designed to bring some additional engagement to skill practice. Your students will love these hands-on math and literacy activities!
With an interrupted school schedule, it’s more important than ever to keep your daily learning routines going strong! This is why I love to use themed math and literacy activities for centers in November. Students are able to maintain the daily routine while having a little bit of seasonal fun during centers time.
For example, students can practice their counting and one-to-one correspondence skills with a fun seasonal twist! Students can place the correct number of clothespin “feathers” on a turkey or count a variety of Thanksgiving-themed objects for a write the room activity.
Your students could also continue to review their phonemic awareness skills by listening for individual sounds in words. For example, they can match turkeys to their legs by finding the correct ending sound. They would also find the right turkey dinner for each table by identifying the correct beginning sound.
If you’d like to take a closer look at everything included in these centers, you can find them in the A Spoonful of Learning shop or on TPT.
Thematic units are always a hit with students, especially as you approach a holiday! I always love to do a turkey thematic unit with my students in November because it’s a great time to explore a variety of turkey read alouds.
“Turkey Trouble” by Wendi Silvano is a great read aloud for a turkey thematic unit! After reading the book together as a class, students can disguise their own turkey! They can also write about their favorite turkey costume from the story. This is fun way to practice opinion writing!
Another great book to read aloud with your class during a turkey unit is “Run, Turkey, Run!” by Diane Mayr. This book lends itself well to sequencing practice, since students can put the turkey’s route in the correct order as they recall the story.
The turkey unit fun can also extend to math practice! Students can complete fun pattern activities inspired by turkeys.
Kindergarten is such a fun grade level to teach because the students are always eager to learn about things like the first Thanksgiving. This is why a Thanksgiving thematic unit is always such a fun addition to November lesson plans! Students are always so excited to learn more about the approaching holiday season and discuss their own family traditions.
After discussing the first Thanksgiving together as a class, students can complete their own books to take home. They’re always so excited to share what they’ve created with their families, which encourages them to practice the new vocabulary again at home.
You can also take this opportunity to have your students compare and contrast how Thanksgiving was celebrated then versus how it’s celebrated now. This cute lift-the-flap activity is a great way for students to share their thoughts.
The Thanksgiving unit can also include themed math practice! For example, students can practice making groups of five on this Thanksgiving-themed counting mat. Students can also practice counting turkey feathers by coloring in the correct number of feathers to match the number on each turkey.
Thanksgiving crafts are also a great addition to a thematic unit, especially crafts that double as special kindergarten mementos! This Thanksgiving placemat is a great way to encourage students to think about what they’re thankful for. This can be an abstract concept for young kindergarten students!
Both the Thanksgiving and turkey thematic units are included in one easy-to-download bundle! You can find it in the A Spoonful of Learning shop or in my TPT store.
If you’re looking for a fun way to add some more literacy and math practice to your November lesson plans, these printable turkey games are perfect!
These games can double as a treat for your class, since students can use small candies as the game pieces. They can eat the candies or take them home when they’re done playing! If you’d prefer for the activity to not use candy, you could substitute small math manipulatives like counters or mini erasers.
The first game option is a beginning sounds activity. Students will take turns choosing a card, identifying the picture, and then deciding what beginning sound they hear. They will add a candy to their game mat once they’ve figured it out.
The second game option is a counting activity. Students will roll a die, count the dots, and then add that corresponding candy to the turkey’s feather. This is also great subitizing practice, since students can start to recognize the patterns on the die.
If you’d like to use these games in your classroom, just fill out the form below and I’ll send it directly to your inbox!
Be sure to save this post if you’d like to come back to it later! Just add the pin below to your favorite kindergarten board on Pinterest. You’ll be able to quickly find these activity ideas when you’re putting together your November lesson plans.
These alphabet books will have students dive deep into learning about each letter of the alphabet while eager to see what activity they get to complete next!
