We had so much fun last month that Astrobrights^® Papers and I decided to do it again! This time we are focusing on gratitude.  We are about to show how to bring a colorful, meaningful Thanksgiving activity to your students that they will love. 💛

This month, we’re creating a Thankful Garland that helps students reflect on what they’re most thankful for, one link at a time.

Ramona Recommends Favorite Thankful Book

Before we begin our craft, I love setting the tone for gratitude with the picture book Thankful by Elaine Vickers. This sweet book reminds students that gratitude can be found in both big and small moments. Thankful is the perfect book to explicitly demonstrate the power of gratitude. 

Grateful Chain: Links of Gratitude

After reading, each student will receive a colorful “gratitude strip” to write down one thing they’re thankful for. These gratitude strips will then be linked together to create a beautiful classroom garland that wraps the classroom in kindness, color, and connection. Below I explain everything you need. 🙂 

For my garland, I used two Astrobrights^® Papers assortments:

• Astrobrights® Naturals Assorted Cardstock Pack using the colors  Husk™ and Honeycomb™ 
• Astrobrights® Primary Assorted Paper Pack using the colors  Cosmic Orange™, Solar Yellow™, Re-Entry Red™, and Gamma Green™ 

These bright, cheerful colors make the garland feel warm and festive. I love a good festive moment don’t you?

What You’ll Need To Make Links of Gratitude:

• Astrobrights^® Papers/Cardstock
• Stapler
• Paper cutter (cut 2” strips)
• A space to hang your garland (a bulletin board, across your whiteboard, or above your classroom library!)
• Optional: Laminate the display poster so you can reuse it year after year.

How It Works

1. Print the thankful links (link below) on Astrobrights Paper.
2. Cut your Astrobrights^® Papers into 2’’ strips for each student.
3. Brainstorm gratitude/thankful ideas on white board. Have students write down their own idea on the colored strip. 
4. Link the strips together using a stapler to form a growing garland. Tip: Show your thank you idea on the inside or the outside of the chain, depending on your preference.
5. Hang it in your classroom as a reminder of what truly matters.

Each day before Thanksgiving break, choose a few gratitude links to read aloud as a class. It’s a wonderful way to pause, reflect, and spread thankfulness together.  Grab the template HERE and spread gratitude! 

Teacher Stamp of Approval:

Gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to build classroom community, and Astrobrights Paper makes it easy to turn that message into something colorful.

This activity reminds us that there’s always something to be thankful for. 🍂The world really needs that right now, don’t you think?

Want to add more Thanksgiving picture books to your collection? I have the perfect list which outlines my favorites and shares how to use the picture books in your classroom during November and fall.

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Astrobrights^® Papers and Walmart.

The post Links of Gratitude: A Colorful Classroom Tradition appeared first on Ramona Recommends.

This year, make things easy with two ready-to-use resources and two bonus classroom ideas. Each one is designed to keep your students engaged while giving you a little breathing room. Think print-and-go literacy centers, meaningful Thanksgiving classroom activities, and a curated picture book list that captures gratitude, turkeys, and togetherness. No stress. No scrambling. Just fun learning that lasts through the week.

READY-TO-USE RESOURCES

November ELA Centers

Bring Thanksgiving fun and fall flair into your classroom with a festive set of ELA centers. Each activity is standards-based and boosts reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and writing skills while keeping students motivated with seasonal themes.

For instance, your students can write a persuasive letter to save a turkey in “Convince the Farmer Not to Eat You!” or roll dice to create hilarious fall stories. They’ll read both fiction and nonfiction texts, practice fluency with a Thanksgiving readers theater, and stretch their brains with wordplay favorites like Hink Pinks and Synonym Stuffing.

Whether your goal is to strengthen main idea skills or spark creative writing, this bundle delivers. It turns November learning into something students will actually look forward to.

November Book List

Celebrate gratitude, kindness, and cozy classroom vibes with my FREE list of 12 favorite November picture books! Each title was handpicked to spark rich discussions and warm, thankful hearts. Inside, you’ll find not only my top choices but also how to use them for engaging read-alouds and lessons.

From stories that highlight community and thankfulness to tales that capture the magic of fall, this list makes it easy to build connection and joy in your classroom. It’s the perfect companion to your Thanksgiving classroom activities.

BONUS CLASSROOM IDEAS

“The Great Gratitude Bake-Off” Writing Challenge

Invite students to “bake up” a recipe for gratitude! They’ll write a short paragraph or poem listing the “ingredients” for a thankful heart—like kindness, laughter, and friendship—and the “directions” for mixing them together. Then, display the finished recipes on a bulletin board shaped like a giant pie or recipe book. This creative project adds a sweet seasonal touch while encouraging meaningful reflection.

Gratitude Grammar Parade

Bring grammar to life with this fun and festive idea! Have students design Thanksgiving-themed “parade floats” on paper to showcase parts of speech in action. For example, a Noun Float could feature pictures and labels of things they’re thankful for, while a Verb Float might show what families do on Thanksgiving. This project blends grammar practice with creativity and helps students celebrate the holiday spirit.

With these two ready-to-go resources and bonus ideas, your classroom will be ready for a week of stress-free, fun, and meaningful Thanksgiving learning.

If you’re looking for even more November classroom fun, check out my posts on using read-alouds to teach vocabulary and making comprehension activities more engaging.

The post Stress-Free Thanksgiving Classroom Activities Your Students Will Love appeared first on Ramona Recommends.

Unpopular Opinion- I actually do not like pie!

…and neither does Peyton, the main character of “Peyton Picks the Perfect Pie”!

In Peyton Picks the Perfect Pie, join Peyton on a deliciously fun adventure as she bravely searches for a pie she can finally enjoy—even though she’s the pickiest eater around! With colorful illustrations and mouth-watering pie options, this story celebrates trying new things and reminds us that sometimes the “perfect” choice is the one you never expected!

How relatable is this book?! Kids are the PICKIEST of eaters and, just like in “Just Try It!,” reading this to your class may just encourage at least one of your students to go ahead and try something new all while you’re covering key reading comprehension skills in an engaging way! Win- Win! (parents will thank you, truly!)

Some Ideas:

• Connect to your kids with the morning meeting questions. Spark an interest in the topic and get kids talking! Class discussions warm my heart and you can learn so much about each other this way. 
• Character Development- Peyton is a dynamic character to follow through the plot because she has great interactions with family members along the way and displays a change by the end of the story. Students can typically really make a text to self connection with Peyton and really be descriptive in their responses to show understanding.
• Listening and Speaking- Do you struggle to track this or be sure to engage students in these tasks? Your students can verbally answer pre-planned questions to each other out loud to practice these crucial skills!
• Build Vocabulary- Encourage students to learn something new and boost their word bank. Pulling words from a text is so meaningful and applicable!
• Overall, boost comprehension of a literary text. Include multiple ways to show understanding of the story with questioning and writing.

Grab your Print-and-Go Picture Book Companion Here!

BONUS: Do you have involved families that would support a pie treat?! Have students bring in a pie to share as a little classroom “Friendsgiving” and encourage them to try something new!

[I got this AMAZING pie from an allergy-friendly baker, Julie’s Table – SO YUM!]

Need more Ideas for Thanksgiving Books?

• “Our Table” follows a girl who brings her family closer by helping them rediscover the joy of sharing meals together.
• “Who Will Bring the Turkey?” The turkeys are all hiding…how will these friends find one? Can you spot it on each page?
• “A Plump and Perky Turkey“ is a funny tale about a clever turkey who outsmarts a town determined to make him their Thanksgiving dinner.

Find More Here!

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