Simple Nursery Thanksgiving Activity: Thankful Wheels

At Thanksgiving, make these Thankful Wheels for the toddlers in your class to take home to share their thankfulness with their families!

For each toddler, you’ll need:

• a sturdy orange or yellow paper plate, and
• a fine-tipped permanent marker.

Simple Nursery Thanksgiving Activity: Thankful Wheels

Draw six pie-piece sections on the plate using a fine-tipped permanent marker. Write one thing to be thankful for in each pie section, such as church, Jesus, family, friends, food, and the Bible. Below the words, draw simple illustrations depicting each word.

Talk with toddlers about being thankful for everything on the wheel, and then take turns closing your eyes and pointing to a section on the wheel. Say something you’re grateful for that relates to the corresponding item.

Send a note home with the wheels explaining how parents can play the game with their children for Thanksgiving. This is a great way for the entire family to discuss God’s blessings. Include this song on parents’ note home (sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star“).

We are thankful for our food,
And our church and Jesus, too!
We are thankful for our toys,
Don’t forget the girls and boys!
We are thankful for our food,
And our church and Jesus, too!
We are thankful for our food,
And our church and Jesus, too!

Sondra Saunders is the former leader of Prestonwood Baptist Church’s preschool and children’s ministry with more than 5,200 children in Plano, Texas. 

Check out all these great ideas for Thanksgiving.