Thanksgiving is the perfect time to bring students together with fun, engaging activities. These Thanksgiving team building activities for 4th and 5th graders promote teamwork and cooperation. Each activity is easy to set up and allows students to collaborate while enjoying the Thanksgiving theme.
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1. Stuff the Turkey – Cotton Ball Edition
In this activity, students get creative by decorating and racing to “stuff” their turkeys.
Materials Needed:
- Toilet paper rolls (1 per team)
- Cotton balls
- Spoons
- Craft Supplies (construction paper, markers, google eyes, etc)
- Timer
Instructions:
- Students begin by decorating their toilet paper rolls to look like turkeys. They can add feathers, eyes, and beaks to personalize their turkeys.
- Before they begin stuffing, tape or cover one end of the roll to keep the cotton balls from falling out.
- Teams then race to stuff their turkey with cotton balls using spoons.
- The team that stuffs the most cotton balls in their turkey within the set time wins!
This activity blends creativity with a fun, competitive element.
2. Pilgrim Hat Stack Challenge
This stacking challenge requires teamwork and problem-solving.
Materials Needed:
- Black cups decorated as Pilgrim hats or Pilgrim Hat Cups
- Rubber bands
- Yarn or string
Instructions:
- Students tie 3-4 strings on a rubber band with each participant then holding on to one of the strings.
- Together, they pull on the strings to expand the rubber band.
- They use the rubber band device to pick up and stack the into a pyramid (three on the bottom, two in the middle, and one on top).
- The first team to complete the pyramid wins.
This activity is a great way to build communication and coordination.
3. Bobbing for Apples
Teams work together to “bob and sort apples” by grabbing Skittles with clothespins.
Materials Needed:
- Mini pie tins
- Skittles
- Clothespins
- Timer
Instructions:
- Each team gets a pile of Skittles with an equal number of red, green, and yellow ones.
- Using clothespins, team members take turns picking up and sorting the Skittles by color.
- They place the sorted Skittles into their mini pie tin, with each color representing a different type of apple.
- The team that collects the most red, green, and yellow Skittles into their tin within the time limit wins.
This activity encourages teamwork and quick thinking!
4. Candy Corn Pumpkin Tower Challenge
This challenge involves building the tallest tower using candy corn pumpkins and toothpicks.
Materials Needed:
- Candy corn pumpkins
- Toothpicks
- Ruler
Instructions:
- Divide students into small groups and provide each group with an equal number of candy corn pumpkins and toothpicks.
- Set a time for a designated period (e.g., 5-10 minutes).
- Using only candy corn pumpkins and toothpicks, teams work together to build the tallest, most stable tower possible.
- When the timer goes off, all groups must stop building and place their hands behind their backs.
- Use a ruler or measuring tape to measure the height of each group’s tower. Only towers that remain standing are eligible for measurement.
- The team with the tallest standing tower wins!
This activity encourages creativity, problem-solving, teamwork, and fine motor skills, making it both fun and educational.
5. Gratitude Chain
This challenge has students reflect on what they are thankful for while creating a paper chain. There are different ways to approach this activity, but here is one example:
Materials Needed:
- Sheets of Paper
- Scissors
- Markers
- Tape, glue, or staplers
Instructions:
- Each team receives a few sheets of paper, scissors, markers, and tape.
- Each student writes something they are thankful for on the paper and cuts it into a strip.
- Teams create links for the chain by looping the strips and securing them with tape.
- Teams link their strips together to form a chain.
- Set a timer for a designated period (e.g., 15-20 minutes).
- The team with the longest paper chain at the end of the timer wins!
You can add a variation by having students share aloud what they wrote before adding it to the chain. You can also give students precut strips of paper. This activity fosters gratitude, reflection, and teamwork, while bringing students together in a meaningful and collaborative way.
6. Turkey Baster Relay Race with Pom-Poms
In this relay race, students use turkey basters to move pom-poms across the room.
Materials Needed:
- Turkey basters
- Pom-poms or cotton balls
- Tape (to mark start and finish lines)
Instructions:
- Divide students into teams and mark a start and finish line across the room.
- Each student takes turns using the turkey baster to blow a pom-pom from the start to the finish line.
- After one student completes the task, the next member takes a turn.
- The first team to have all their members successfully complete the relay wins!
This fun game encourages teamwork, coordination, and keeps the activity light and playful.
7. Pie Toss
Students toss mini “pies” into pie tins in this fast-paced challenge.
Materials Needed:
- Laminated mini pies
- Pie tins
- Tape (to mark toss line)
Instructions:
- Mark a toss line at a reasonable distance from the pie tins.
- Teams take turns tossing mini pies into the pie tins.
- Set a timer or number of rounds for the challenge.
- The team with the most successful tosses into the tin wins!
You can adjust the difficulty by changing the distance between the toss line and pie tins. This activity promotes hand-eye coordination and friendly competition.
8. Thanksgiving Word Search Puzzle
Teams race to complete a Thanksgiving-themed word search.
Materials Needed:
- Thanksgiving word search puzzles
- Pencils
Instructions:
- Divide students into teams and provide each team with a word search puzzle.
- All teams start the puzzle at the same time.
- The first team to complete the word search wins!
This is an easy, low-prep activity that reinforces vocabulary and teamwork, making it a perfect way to wrap up your Thanksgiving team-building session.
These Thanksgiving team-building activities for 4th and 5th graders are a great way to foster collaboration, creativity, and reflection. If you’re looking for more Thanksgiving inspiration, make sure to check out Thanksgiving ELA Activities for the Upper Elementary Classroom.
