All the histories aside, Thanksgiving is supposed to be a moment to pause and give thanks. It was actually one of my favorite holidays as a kid because it was about spending time with family, and some of my favorite foods. In the music classroom, Thanksgiving feels like a race. The holidays are coming, student excitement steps up a notch, and a lot of us have shows coming up. There aren’t a lot of “Thanksgiving” songs (Over the River anyone?) and there isn’t a big lead up to Thanksgiving as Mariah Carey already defrosted the day after Halloween. Here are a few great activities, play alongs, and books for Thanksgiving that can give your lessons leading up to Thanksgiving that can acknowledge the holiday.
Play Alongs
- Be Thankful Rhythm Play-Along from Amy Burns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qyJLTh-oUc
- Thanksgiving Feast Rhythm Play-Along | Level 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrK-xNTsRQ0
- Thanksgiving Rhythm Play-Along | Level 2 from Soaring Scarves Academy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK_pm9po0_s
- Movement Break | Thanksgiving Level 1 (Vivaldi’s Autumn) from Soaring Scarves Academy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0NIzbRIQFE
- The Gobble Dance Anthem! from Mr. Henry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I-D8GLLR9M
- Being Thankful Body Percussion Play Along from Amy Burns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB0O8siDv6g
- Thanksgiving Rap for Kids: Body Percussion Jam Along! from Mr. Henry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA-VIqTiPEU
- Thanksgiving for Music Class: Boomwhackers, Rhythms & Body Percussion! from Mr. Henry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crajn8166W8
- Turkey Scarf Movement Activity from Sing Play Create https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7DUQgICd0E
- Turkey On A Hill from Music With Mr. DelGaudio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgeJ7G9D2so
- Thanksgiving Dinner Rhythm Play Along from Primarily Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBAGw-LvWWg
- Autumn Trail (Easy) from Ready Go Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9CwLr9spAc
- Autumn Trail (Challenge) from Ready Go Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwRm4D7ySjA
- The Best Worst Thanksgiving from Swick’s Classroom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_D5xgvsf2U
- A Turkey Ran Away from Mr. G’s Boomwhacker Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RpjE1OEETw
- Thanksgiving Percussion Play Along from Elementary Groove Tracks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjxj0RKKr-w
Printable Fun
Letting your students be creative is one of the best parts of being a music educator. This easy Thankful Composing set is a great way to acknowledge thankfulness and Thanksgiving without focus on food.
If you are looking for a meal building activity, this set is great for that!
Books
Here are some books that I’ve featured before with Native American representation. What I love about a few of these books is the theme of thanks. Giving Thanks and We are Grateful are great options! You can check them out in this blog post.
Albuquerque Turkey is a a parody of the song Clementine.
Here are the lyrics:
Albuquerque is a turkey,
And he’s feathered and he’s fine.
And he wobbles, and he gobbles,
And he’s absolutely mine.
He’s the best pet that you can get,
Better than a dog or cat.
Albuquerque, he’s my turkey,
And I’m awfully glad of that.
Albuquerque, he’s my turkey,
He’s so cozy in his bed,
Because for our Thanksgiving dinner,
We had scrambled eggs* instead.
This is the cute singable version book.
I hope this has given you some last minute ideas!
