These Thanksgiving crosswords cover the words students hear most in late November: the foods on the table, the Pilgrims and the Mayflower, parades, football and saying thank you. The clues are short, everyday sentences that younger children and ESL learners can read on their own, and an answer key prints on a separate page. Use them as a warm-up, an early-finisher activity or a quiet task before the holiday break.
Puzzle 1 of 2
Puzzle 1: Thanksgiving Dinner
12 words
Across
1. Parents, children and relatives who gather for the holiday
2. A dessert with a crust, often pumpkin or apple
4. Vegetables that are often mashed for the meal
6. The month when Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States
7. Feeling grateful for what you have
9. A small sour red berry made into a sauce
10. The large bird most families roast for Thanksgiving dinner
Down
1. A large, special meal
3. Yellow kernels that grow on a cob
4. An orange squash baked into a popular holiday pie
5. A bread mixture often cooked inside the turkey
8. A hot brown sauce poured over meat and potatoes
Puzzle 2: Thanksgiving Traditions
12 words
Across
3. The season of the year when Thanksgiving takes place
5. People invited to share the meal
6. The day of the week Thanksgiving falls on in the US
9. A horn-shaped basket overflowing with fruit and vegetables
10. The feeling of being thankful
11. The ship that carried the Pilgrims across the Atlantic
12. Food that remains after the meal and is eaten later
Down
1. A street event with marching bands and giant balloons
2. The time when crops are gathered from the fields
4. A forked bone two people pull apart to make a wish
7. English settlers who sailed to America in 1620
8. A sport many families watch on TV on Thanksgiving Day
In the United States, Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada it is the second Monday of October.
Do these Thanksgiving crosswords include answers?
Yes. The PDF has an answer key page for each puzzle, after the puzzle pages, and the Print button prints them too — so you can hand out the puzzles first.
Are these Thanksgiving crosswords good for kids and ESL students?
Yes. The clues use short, everyday sentences and familiar holiday words, which suits grades 1–6 and A1–A2 English learners.
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