Six simple classroom ideas to spark gratitude, laughter, and learning.
As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s the perfect time to pause and appreciate the incredible creativity that happens in classrooms every day. Teachers are juggling a lot—lessons, laughter, and maybe a few paper turkeys—and still finding ways to make math meaningful for every learner.
If you’re looking for some light, low-prep ways to celebrate the season while keeping math minds engaged, we’ve gathered a few of our favorite Thanksgiving-themed activities. Each one brings together problem-solving, teamwork, and gratitude (plus a little pie humor for good measure).
1. The Great Pie Problem
You’ve got two pies and eight students. How can everyone get a fair slice?
- Start with simple division problems, then complicate things—what if the pies are different sizes? What if one is pumpkin and one is pecan, and everyone has a preference?
- Encourage students to draw models or use manipulatives to reason through “fair share” scenarios.
- Extend it: Have students design their own sharing problems using classroom snacks or pretend Thanksgiving dishes.
💡 Math focus: division, fractions, and reasoning.
❤️ Teacher tip: Wrap up by asking, “What’s something else—besides dessert—that we share in class?”
2. Thankful Geometry Art
This one turns gratitude into a geometry lesson.
- Give each student a blank leaf template and have them fill it with patterns made from geometric shapes.
- Inside the leaf, they write one thing they’re thankful for—something that helped them grow this year.
- Display them on a “Tree of Thanks” bulletin board to add color (and kindness) to your classroom.
💡 Math focus: identifying and combining geometric shapes, symmetry, spatial reasoning.
🎉 Bonus: Ask students to estimate how many leaves it would take to cover your classroom wall!
3. Pi(e) Day Comes Early
Because who says March gets all the fun?
- Bring in round objects—plates, lids, pies, or even paper circles.
- Challenge students to measure circumference and diameter using string or yarn and discover how they’re related.
- Let them notice that it’s a little more than three diameters around—and voilà, an early taste of π!
💡 Math focus: measurement, ratios, and real-world connections.
😋 Optional finale: celebrate with a mini pie (or just a good joke—see below).
4. Thanksgiving Math Jokes to Lighten the Day
Give your students a brain break—or start class with a smile.
- Why was the Thanksgiving soup so expensive? It had 24 carrots.
- What do you get when you divide the circumference of a pumpkin by its diameter? Pumpkin π.
- Why did the turkey cross the playground? To get to the other slide.
Have students make up their own math puns and vote for a classroom favorite. (Extra points if they can explain the math behind it!)
5. Gratitude Graphs
Turn a simple gratitude exercise into a quick data project.
- Ask each student to name one thing they’re thankful for—food, family, friends, or maybe “no homework.”
- Tally up the responses and create a bar graph as a class.
- Discuss: Which category had the most? What’s the difference between the top two? How might the results change if we surveyed another class?
💡 Math focus: data representation and interpretation.
🧠 Deeper connection: gratitude and math both grow stronger with reflection and sharing.
6. JiJi’s Gratitude Coloring Sheet
Break out the art supplies because JiJi wants to see how creative students can get with this fun Thanksgiving coloring sheet!
The printable includes a writing prompt inviting students to express their gratitude for ST Math—whether it’s how much they’ve learned, how confident they’ve become, or simply how much fun they have solving puzzles with JiJi.
Looking for more JiJi activities? The ST Math Help Site is full of additional printables and resources to support your ST Math implementation year-round.
Wrapping It Up
Thanksgiving is a reminder that math—and teaching—are about more than numbers. They’re about connection, curiosity, and celebrating how every brain learns differently. Whether your classroom is filled with laughter, construction paper, or the smell of real pie, we hope these activities help you make this season a little brighter (and a lot more mathematical).
From all of us who admire what you do every day: thank you for helping students see math in new ways and discover the joy of making sense of it.
Happy Thanksgiving, and happy teaching. 🦃
