Thanksgiving Then and Now Activity for Kids

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Thanksgiving is such a fun time for family traditions, delicious food, and gratitude, but it is also a wonderful opportunity to teach kids about early American history and how life has changed over time.

This simple Thanksgiving Then and Now activity helps children compare daily life in the past with life today through a fun hands-on matching printable. Kids love discovering how people cooked, traveled, communicated, and lived during the time of the Pilgrims compared to the modern world they know today.

It is a perfect low-prep Thanksgiving activity for:

• classrooms
• homeschool lessons
• Thanksgiving centers
• early American history units
• November learning activities

Thanksgiving Then and Now Activity

This printable activity page includes pictures of modern-day objects that match similar items used long ago during early American history.

Kids will compare items from “then” and “now” by matching related objects together.

Some examples include:

• a pilgrim hat and a baseball cap
• a horse and a car
• a lantern and a lamp
• a compass and GPS
• a kettle over a fire and a microwave
• a teapot and a coffee maker

This activity naturally encourages conversations about:

• technology changes
• transportation
• communication
• cooking methods
• daily chores
• colonial life
• early American history

How to Use This Thanksgiving Printable

Using crayons, markers, or colored pencils:

• color the historical items red
• color the modern items green
• draw lines connecting the matching pairs

As children complete the page, encourage them to talk about:

• Which item would be harder to use?
• What would life be like without electricity?
• How did people cook before modern kitchens?
• How did early settlers travel long distances?
• Which modern inventions make life easier today?

These simple conversations help children better understand how much life has changed over time.

Why Compare “Then and Now”?

Compare-and-contrast activities are wonderful for helping young learners build critical thinking skills.

Children begin to:

• recognize changes over time
• understand historical context
• build observation skills
• practice vocabulary
• connect history to real life

This activity also helps history feel more personal and relatable for younger kids.

Extend the Learning

Want to make this activity even more meaningful? Try pairing it with:

• books about the Pilgrims
• a Thanksgiving timeline activity
• My This is the Feast Story Sticks
• colonial cooking demonstrations
• Jamestown or Plymouth lessons
• Thanksgiving writing prompts
• a gratitude journal
• my Historical Early America Coloring Book
• historical dress-up play

You could also ask children to draw:

• what they think Thanksgiving looked like long ago
• how people may celebrate Thanksgiving 100 years from now

Thanksgiving Books to Pair With This Activity

Some fun picture books to read alongside this printable include:

• Squanto’s Journey by Joseph Bruchac
• Sarah Morton’s Day by Kate Waters
• Samuel Eaton’s Day by Kate Waters
• The Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving by Ann McGovern
• This is the Feast by Diane Z. Shore

Download This Thanksgiving Then and Now Printable

This simple Thanksgiving history activity is an easy way to combine:

• social studies
• history
• compare-and-contrast skills
• discussion
• and holiday fun

Download the Thanksgiving Then and Now activity page below.

More Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

If you enjoyed this printable, you may also like:

The Gratitude Game
Thanksgiving Dinner Scratch-off Cards
Jamestown Simulation
Thanksgiving Activity Pages
Thanksgiving Conversation Starters
Historical Early American Coloring Book
Thanksgiving Writing Page 
Thanksgiving Turkey Tag
This is the Feast Story Sticks