November Theme Ideas for Preschool
These November theme ideas for preschool follow the month the way little kids actually live it: leaves falling, scarecrows on porches, turkeys everywhere, and one big dinner at the end. Pair them with our November holiday worksheets and most of your planning is done.
Below is a simple four-week plan, one theme per week, with crafts, printables and books for each. If you only have a few days, pick one week and run with it.
After the weekly plan you will find more November themes to swap in, a short guide to planning a theme week, and answers to the questions teachers and homeschool parents ask most.
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A Four-Week November Theme Plan for Preschool
Week 1: Fall Leaves and Trees
- L is for Leaf Crown for letter practice they can wear.
- Leaf Match and Leaf Comparisons using real leaves from the yard.
- Tree Life Cycle Worksheets for a first science lesson.
- Autumn Skip Counting Cards for older preschoolers ready to count by twos.
- Fall Cutting Practice for scissor skills.
Week 2: Scarecrows and the Harvest
- Scarecrow Crafts and Activities for the craft table.
- Build a Scarecrow Printable for a quick cut-and-glue.
- Scarecrow Cutting Printables for more scissor practice.
- Fall Math Activities for counting and sorting.
- Pretend Play Farmers Market from my shop, for playing harvest with real-looking produce.
Week 3: Turkeys, Pilgrims and the Mayflower
- Easy Turkey with Feathers for the craft every preschooler makes in November.
- Turkey Life Cycle Lapbook for a little science.
- T is for Turkey for letter practice.
- Pilgrim Crafts and Activities and Mayflower Crafts and Activities for the history side.
- Turkey Books for Kids for read-aloud time.
More Thanksgiving Printables From My Shop
Week 4: Gratitude and Thanksgiving
- Printable Thanksgiving Lapbook to tie the month together.
- Thanksgiving Math Activities and Thanksgiving Cutting Practice for the short school week.
- Thanksgiving Fine Motor Activities for busy hands.
- Thanksgiving Language Arts Activities for letters and words.
- A thankful chain: one paper strip a day with something they are thankful for, linked together by Thanksgiving.
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Handy for These Worksheets
More November Theme Ideas
Swap any of these in for a week, or use them for the days around the main theme.
- Hibernation: bears, squirrels and the animals getting ready for winter. Start with these hibernation printables.
- Veterans Day: a simple thank-you to the people who served. These patriotic activities for kids work well for the week of November 11.
- Native American Heritage Month: November is the month to read picture books by Native authors and learn about the tribes where you live. These Native American Heritage Month cutting worksheets are a good scissor activity to go with it.
- Family Traditions: ask kids what their family does every fall, and draw it. Our fall family traditions list has ideas.
- Weather: chart the cold mornings and the first frost. The Pretend Play Weather Station from my shop makes it a daily job.
- Apples and Pumpkins: if October went by too fast, our October theme ideas still work in early November.
How to Plan a November Theme Week
- One theme per week. Five days is long enough to stick and short enough that nobody gets bored.
- One book a day. Read the same one twice if they ask. Repetition is the point at this age.
- One craft, one printable, one hands-on activity. That is plenty. You do not need a full schedule to call it a theme.
- Plan a short Thanksgiving week. Most families and schools lose two or three days, so keep week four light.
Handy for a Month of Themes
Paper, pom poms and glue for a whole month of leaf, turkey and scarecrow crafts.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to the November planning questions that come up every fall.
More Seasonal Planning Help
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