9 Thanksgiving Day Parade activities that engage students while still working on classroom skills.
We’ve talked a lot about Thanksgiving on this blog over the years, but we’ve never talked about the Thanksgiving Parade or ideas you can use to discuss/celebrate it with students.
Today, we’re going to provide a variety of ideas to use as you talk about the Thanksgiving Day Parade with your students!
9 Thanksgiving Day Parade Activities for Upper Elementary Students
#1 | Picture Books
To kick off your celebration, read the book Balloons Over Broadway. This book is a fun way to start talking about one of the key pieces of the Thanksgiving Day Parade – the floats!
#2 | Thanksgiving Close Reads
After reading the picture book, work through the “Thanksgiving Day Parade” passage in the Thanksgiving Close Reads with Mystery Pictures set.
After students work through the close read, ask students to compare & contrast the book with the passage.
The Thanksgiving Close Reads resource will allow students to practice their reading comprehension skills while also learning about the Thanksgiving Day Parade and other Thanksgiving traditions.
#3 | Create Balloon Designs
After reading about Tony Sarg’s balloon designs, try some more hands-on Thanksgiving Day Parade activities.
A fun activity that will allow students to “get their hands dirty” is to have students create their own balloon designs using art supplies such as paper, markers, and craft materials.
You can take this one step further and have them play around with balloon twisting as well.
Ask students to provide some backstory for their designs.
- What company or organization are they representing and why?
- What is the significance of the design they chose?
- Who are they trying to appeal to with this design?
- What do they want people to feel with this design?
#4 | Research and Presentation
Divide students into small groups and assign each group a different aspect of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (history, traditions, balloon designs, etc.). Then, ask them to research their topic using books and online resources and create a short presentation to share with the class.
#5 | Writing Prompts
Provide students with writing prompts related to the book. Here are some examples you can use if you’re looking for inspiration.
- Imagine you are Tony Sarg. Write a diary entry about a day in your life creating parade balloons.
- Write a newspaper article describing the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
- Create a persuasive letter to Macy’s executives convincing them to use balloons instead of live animals in the parade.
#6 | STEM Challenge – Build a Balloon Structure
Challenge students to engineer a structure that can hold a balloon (representing a parade balloon) using materials like straws, tape, and string.
After creating their design, students will test the structures by attaching balloons and observing how well they hold up. You can add extra obstacles such as “rain” or “wind” by using squirt bottles and/or fans to exemplify some of the issues balloon creators have to consider when designing their balloons for the parade.
#7 | Balloon Measurements
Who doesn’t enjoy a Thanksgiving Day Parade activity that includes other subjects like math?
In this activity, students are using measurements from the book or what they learned about the parade (e.g., balloon sizes and parade route distances) as real-world math problems.
#8 | Art and Collage
Explore collage techniques similar to Melissa Sweet’s illustrations in the book.
Provide magazines, colored paper, scissors, and glue for students to create collage artwork inspired by parade balloons and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
#9 | Parade Planning
Organize a classroom or school-wide parade planning activity.
Have students brainstorm parade themes, create balloon designs, and plan the route.
This parade could be done in conjunction with creating their own balloon designs.
The Thanksgiving Day Parade is one of the biggest events of the Thanksgiving season, and having some Thanksgiving Day Parade activities ready to explore will give you another way to explore this holiday while also practicing some classroom-related skills.
We have several Thanksgiving activities available in our holiday bundles available in the website store, or, if you prefer, you can always purchase items on Tpt instead!
