Thanksgiving gives ESL students a great opportunity to learn about American culture. After all, it's one of the few holiday traditions that originated in the U.S. Make Thanksgiving lessons as fun as possible with games that include sensory experiences---namely, eating. Through trying traditional foods and playing fun games, students will absorb the lessons and stay motivated to learn.

Turkey Drawings
Have students draw turkeys by tracing their hands. Then, practice counting numbers by counting the turkey feathers formed by their fingers. This activity works best for beginning students.

Name a Food
In this game, students take turns naming a traditional Thanksgiving food. Form a circle, so students are all engaged in the activity together. If a student can't think of a food, have him scoot his desk back and let the next student try, with the game continuing until only one student is left. You can also play a version suggested by ESL Kids' Stuff, in which each player must repeat every dish named so far in the game. Play this game with students who are already somewhat familiar with Thanksgiving or after teaching a lesson about the holiday.

Thankful for Game
Have students take turns naming something they're thankful for. Encourage them to think creatively if they feel stumped, naming anything they enjoy, whether it's food, a special place or spending time with friends.

Trivia Challenge
Give students a trivia challenge about the pilgrims, Native Americans and the original Thanksgiving celebration. This gives you a great way to teach ESL students about the indigenous cultures of America. Learn your facts ahead of time, rather than presenting an inaccurate, stereotyped rendition of events. You can visit Osaka University's Native American Education page to learn about the reality behind the holiday's origins.

Printable Activities
For a quiet break, have students work on puzzles and other printable games. ESL Galaxy offers a Thanksgiving crossword puzzle and word search that you can print out.

Thanksgiving Treat
Prepare or purchase a Thanksgiving treat, like a pumpkin pie, and form two teams of students who will compete for the pie with a Thanksgiving trivia contest. Or, lay out a small Thanksgiving feast on the table, and have students correctly state the names of the foods to receive their portion. At the end, give everyone a serving whether they guessed correctly or not. When they practice saying the names of the foods as they eat them, students will be more likely to retain the new vocabulary.

Turket Hunt
Hide a toy turkey somewhere in the room and have students search for it, suggests ESL Kids' Stuff. To make the activity more educational, tell kids they must say the name of any object they touch while looking for the turkey.