Thanksgiving is just around the corner and that usually means a smorgasbord of tasty treats shared with family and friends around the table! Cook up a bit of extra holiday fun with this delicious Thanksgiving-themed word scramble activity! Ready to dig in?
Here we go…it’s time for a Thanksgiving word feast! Have each player place the letter squares face up on the table.
Now have each player scramble his letter squares, trying to form as many words as possible.
For example, from the letter squares for the word Thanksgiving, a player might discover the words gang, ask, or skin.
Have the players write each newly discovered word in a space on the word sheet.
Keep scrambling letters until each player has found as many words as he can. The player with the most words wins.
Encourage teamwork. Playing with a wide variety of ages? Instead of each player playing independently, work as teams. Pair up an adult or older child with a younger child. Work together to unscramble letters and discover as many words as possible.
Make it a race. Depending on the reading level of the players, set a timer for 3-5 minutes and have individual children or teams see who can discover the most words in the allotted time. Older children and adults may have fun playing for longer periods of time.
Encourage vocabulary-building. Have children use the word they discover in a sentence before adding the word to their sheet.
Create a crossword puzzle. Scramble the letter squares for all four Thanksgiving Scrambles and place them face up on the table. Work as a group to create a crossword that uses as many of the letters as possible. All words should intersect with at least one other word in the crossword!
Looking for more downloadable activities for family fun? Just click here … we’ve got you covered! Have a great Thanksgiving!
Photos by: Kristin Oleksinski
Tara Pickrell
says:I used this game with as a small group activity in third grade classroom. Playing with words is fun!
Simah
says:Awesome! Thank you for always sharing cool ideas for spelling and reading practice!
Merry
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Simah!
R Smith
says:Such fun activities for kids!
Rae
says:Great idea!
Kristen
says:Thank you for these little freebies! As a teacher, I send these to my homeschooling families to spice up their day. Many of them are using All About Reading, and if they aren’t using it yet, they learn about it from me. :)
Merry
says: Customer ServiceThanks for sharing them with others, Kristen!
Kristie
says:This looks fun. I like all the different ideas for games with the words. Thanks!
heather
says:Such a great idea! Might try this with my young reader.
Lindsay Garcia
says:This looks like such a fun activity for my 3 boys! Just downloaded it! Can’t wait to try it out this week!!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI hope your boys have a lot of fun with this, Lindsay!
Shala Billings
says:Looking forward to doing this activity with my little ones.
Crystal
says:Thanks for the fun interactive activities!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Crystal! 😊
Rebecca Moyer
says:Thank you so much for the creative resources!
Kaylynn
says:This is a great project! We used it today in our school classroom and the kids had so much fun!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m happy that your students enjoyed this, Kaylynn. Thanks for letting us know it went well!
Stephanie Wilcox
says:Cute idea!
Susan Richmann
says:This looks like a fun game and will share it with my granddaughter!
Jo Mckay
says:Thanks for the great ideas!
Charissa Morris
says:Our family is so doing this!! Thank you for all the help with spelling and reading fun!!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re so welcome, Charissa! 😊
Helena
says:This looks really fun! My kids have been asking about Thanksgiving fun and how to spell words. We’ll definitely give this a try.
Jolene
says:We may have to try this. :)
Brandy
says:This will be fun for our family to add to yearly traditions!
Thank YOU
Jann Price
says:My grandchildren are already excited to do this!
Margie
says:I love to find new, fun ways to encourage my struggling reader to play with words.
Lori Hannon
says:My son has really enjoyed this activity! I hope that we are able to find more like this!
Margarita Rice
says:Word games are always fun.
Patricia Fry
says:So much fun! Awesome
Candace Leighton
says:I love all your ideas and emails. Thank you for sharing the love of literacy!
Michelle
says:So many fun learning activities!! Great resource!
Jenn A
says:Thank you for making this activity so easy to prepare and play! It’s just what we need during the busy holidays.
Holly Arthur
says:Yes! This is awesome! Thank you very much!!
Anita
says:Looks fun
Stephanie
says:Looks like fun! My kids love the activities. They think they’re just playing, but they are learning so much!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThat is the best kind of learning, Stephanie! 😊