Planning a Thanksgiving Sunday school hour can feel like three jobs at once: a lesson, a craft and something for busy hands. Use this one-hour plan with kindergarten through 6th grade (ages 6 to 12) in Sunday school or children’s church the week before Thanksgiving. It puts the lesson, craft and coloring into one schedule. The teach, make, color and send-home parts each link to a free printable, starting with the free Thanksgiving coloring pages.
…and it helps that there’s football on TV and pumpkin pie. In fact, now pumpkin pie is one of our favorite holiday traditions that we enjoy nearly year-round. And if your kids haven’t seen it yet, definitely check out Danny Go Pumpkin Pie song on YouTube. … not exactly children’s church material, but certainly fun for the kids at home.
Tony Kummer, founder of Ministry-to-Children, in 2026
Here is “The Pumpkin Pie Song!” by Danny Go! on YouTube (3:28), for the kids at home.
Free printable: Thanksgiving Coloring Pages (8-page PDF)
The Thanksgiving Sunday school hour at a glance
| Minutes | Part | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 0-5 | Start | One question to open |
| 5-20 | Teach | Luke 17:11-19, the one who came back |
| 20-30 | Talk | Three questions |
| 30-45 | Make | One Thanksgiving craft |
| 45-55 | Color | Free Thanksgiving coloring pages |
| 55-60 | Send home | A prayer and a verse |
Start: one question to open the lesson
Ask the room, “What did you say thank you for this week?” Let each child answer in one short sentence. Shy kids can whisper the answer to a partner.
Teach: a Thanksgiving Bible lesson for kids from Luke 17:11-19
Ten men with leprosy called out to Jesus from a distance. Here is what He said and what happened next.
When Jesus saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were on their way, they were cleansed.
Luke 17:14 (BSB)
One man turned back, praised God and fell facedown at Jesus’ feet. Luke says he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked where the other nine were.
For a full script, use the free lesson Who Says Thanks? (Luke 17:11-17) with its craft video. Another option is the free printable One Thankful Leper, a plan for about 45 to 60 minutes for ages 6 to 12 in the NIV, ESV or KJV.
Talk: three questions that get kids sharing
- Why do you think one man turned around?
- Where did the ten men stand when they called out, and why?
- Who helped you this week that you could thank today?
Leave the first question open. Kids give good answers when nobody rushes to correct them.
Make: choose one Thanksgiving Sunday school craft
- “Give Thanks – Say Thanks” Bible craft ideas: three simple crafts built on Luke 17:11-19, with printable directions and a video.
- “Someone is Thankful for Me” printable bracelets: paper bracelets kids wear home.
- Three paper crafts for Thanksgiving: construction paper projects with printable instructions and a how-to video.
- “Turkey Time” crafts: downloadable directions and a video demonstration.
Short on time? Pick the bracelets and skip the rest. One finished craft is enough for the hour.
Color: free Thanksgiving coloring pages
While you clean up, hand out the free Thanksgiving Coloring Pages. Inside are eight single sheets and a thankful pilgrims craft project, suited to elementary ages and older.
Send home: a prayer and a verse
Teach the children’s prayer of thanks with its hand motions. The download has the printable prayer, directions and a bonus coloring page.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name.
Psalm 100:4 (BSB)
What if the room is small or the ages are mixed?
- Small room: do the talk part as partner talk instead of a circle.
- Mixed ages: let older kids read Luke 17:14 aloud while younger kids color.
- No craft supplies: use the coloring pages for both the make and color parts.
Which Bible stories teach kids about thanksgiving?
Luke 17:11-19 is the story this plan uses, because ten men were healed and only one came back to say thanks. For more, see the Thanksgiving Sunday school lessons, the 3 object lessons on gratitude and the 42 Bible verses about thankfulness.
Kids Bible Lessons is a free ministry of The Sunday School Store. If you want a full Thanksgiving series, try the free Week 1 lesson from Bible Bake Off, a 5-week curriculum. It comes with a script, game, craft and word search.
What does your Thanksgiving Sunday school hour look like? Share what works for you in the comments.
