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Thankful theme for 3 and 4 year olds: a week of activities

A thankful theme lesson plan for 3 and 4 year olds: what a day looks like, then the week's circle time (ten to fifteen minutes, with a child holding the book), books, craft, song, snack, letter and outside time, each with what changes at this age.

Plan this week for 3 and 4 year oldsThe whole thankful week

A day of the thankful theme with 3 and 4 year olds

  1. Arrival, sign-in, and a job from the helper chart.
  2. Circle (ten to fifteen minutes): calendar, “Who would you like to say thank you to?”, sing “polly put the kettle on”, then A Bun for Fran.
  3. Centers, with the craft at one table: thank-you handprint tree.
  4. Letter T: trace it once, then hunt for T around the room.
  5. Snack: Banana Oat Cookies, with children pouring and counting.
  6. Outside: helper relay.
  7. Rest, then a longer read-aloud.

Thankful circle time

  1. Good morning song, then say each name together.
  2. Calendar: the day, the date and the weather.
  3. Ask: “Who would you like to say thank you to?”
  4. Sing: Polly Put the Kettle On.
  5. Read: A Bun for Fran (level 2).

Threes and fours: ten to fifteen minutes; let a child hold the book.

Thankful theme books

  • A Bun for Fran (level 2, free on peabody.kids): Sharing a bun with a friend.
  • Pat, Pat, Pat (level 0, free on peabody.kids): Small kindnesses in a family, in a pattern.
  • Ring the Bell (level 2, free on peabody.kids): A gift and a friend at the door.
  • Fish in a Dish (level 2, free on peabody.kids): Being kind to an animal that needs help.

Thankful craft: Thank-you handprint tree

You need (4): large paper, brown crayon, washable paint in fall colors, wipes.

  1. A grown-up draws a tree trunk on the paper.
  2. Each child presses a painted hand on as a leaf.
  3. Write by each hand who that child is thankful for.

With a grown-up. No heat, nothing hot.

Thankful song: Polly Put the Kettle On

The words

Polly put the kettle on, Polly put the kettle on, Polly put the kettle on, We'll all have tea. Sukey take it off again, Sukey take it off again, Sukey take it off again, They've all gone away.

Traditional; public domain. From Top 52 nursery rhymes with lyrics.

Thankful snack

Banana Oat Cookies from the Peabody Kitchen: picture steps, allergy swaps and safety lines on the recipe.

Letter T activities

TtT is for thank you. Print the two pages (a trace page and a color page).

Threes and fours: trace T and t once, then find T in the room and in the book.

Outside activity: Helper relay

Pass a basket of balls down a line, saying "thank you" with each one.

Thankful theme for toddlersThankful theme for 2 year oldsThankful theme, all ages

Checked 2026-10-30