Thanksgiving in Spanish Class: a Free Bingo Game (K-5, Spanish 1)

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If you are looking for something fun to do for Thanksgiving in Spanish class, this is my Spanish Thanksgiving bingo game, and it is free. Students match 40 Thanksgiving and fall words in Spanish to the pictures on their boards, from el pavo and el maíz to la cornucopia and dar gracias.

The whole game is below: 30 different boards in color, the 40 calling cards, a black-and-white set, and my instructions. Print the pages, cut out the cards, and you are ready to play.

Thanksgiving in Spanish class: what students learn

Thanksgiving in Spanish is el Día de Acción de Gracias. This game gives students the words around the holiday: the food (el pavo, el puré de papas, el pay de calabaza), the symbols (la cornucopia, el sombrero, la bellota), the people (la familia, los peregrinos, los nativos americanos) and the ideas of giving thanks (dar gracias, estar agradecido).

It also covers fall, with words like el otoño, las hojas and cosecha de otoño, and a few words that are not food at all, like el fútbol americano, el barco, jueves and noviembre.

Get the bingo game (free, no email)

Spanish Thanksgiving vocabulary: the 40 words in the game

Every board and every calling card shows a picture with its Spanish word. Here are all 40 words.

• The meal: el pavo, muslo de pavo, el jamón, el relleno, el puré de papas, el boniato, las verduras, la ensalada, el pan, los panecillos, la mantequilla, el jugo de carne, los arándanos, el pay de calabaza, el pay de cerezas, especias de pay de calabaza
• The harvest: el maíz, el trigo, la calabaza, las manzanas, cosecha de otoño, la cornucopia
• Fall: el otoño, las hojas, la bellota, el árbol
• The day: noviembre, jueves, la familia, cena del Día de Acción de Gracias, el fútbol americano
• The story: los peregrinos, los nativos americanos, el barco, el sombrero, las plumas
• Giving thanks: dar gracias, estar agradecido, siempre dar gracias, Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias

Before you play

Play this game just like you would play any other bingo game. Print out the pages, cut out the cards, and you are ready to go. I suggest laminating them, so next year all you have to do is pull them out.

• Print the boards. Each of the 30 boards is different.
• Print the calling cards and cut them out.

The Spanish Thanksgiving bingo boards

Each board is a 5 by 5 grid of Thanksgiving pictures, with the Spanish word under each picture. The boards are all different, so students are not looking at the same words in the same places.

The calling cards: call the word, find the picture

The 40 calling cards are the words you call. Announce each word in Spanish, and students look for the picture on their board that goes with it.

With younger students: show the card while you say the word

With younger kids, you may want to display the cards on the board with a projector while you announce each one. That way they hear the word while they see the image.

With older students: try circumlocution

With older kids, try circumlocution to help them pick out the pictures that go with each word you say. Circumlocution means explaining a word with other words you know.

Choose how students win: 5 in a row, a T, or blackout

Depending on how much time you have, you can play a few different ways.

• Traditional bingo: 5 in a row.
• A T for Thanksgiving (or turkey).
• Blackout: students fill the whole board.

The black-and-white set

The file also has a black-and-white set of the boards and the calling cards, with the same pictures and the same Spanish words.

Here is the free game for Thanksgiving in Spanish class

Click the file. It opens on the downloads page. No email needed.

• Spanish Thanksgiving Bingo Game (PDF)

Open the downloads page

This lesson is from our Thanksgiving unit

• Spanish Thanksgiving Bingo (Día de Acción de Gracias)
• Spanish Thanksgiving Boom Cards: Vocabulary Digital Game
• Spanish Thanksgiving Color by Number
• Spanish Thanksgiving Digital Activity: La Familia

See everything in the membership

Questions teachers ask about Thanksgiving in Spanish class

How do you say Thanksgiving in Spanish?

Thanksgiving is el Día de Acción de Gracias. The calling cards put it in real phrases, like Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias and cena del Día de Acción de Gracias, so students meet the name of the holiday while they play.

How do you play Thanksgiving bingo in Spanish?

Play it like any other bingo game. Print the pages, cut out the cards, and announce each word in Spanish while students find the picture on their board. You can play traditional 5 in a row, a T for Thanksgiving, or blackout, where students fill the whole board.

What Spanish Thanksgiving words are in the game?

There are 40 words, from the meal (el pavo, los arándanos, el puré de papas) and the harvest (el maíz, la cornucopia) to fall (el otoño, las hojas) and giving thanks (dar gracias, estar agradecido). The full list is above.

How do you change Thanksgiving bingo for different ages?

With younger students, display the cards on the board with a projector while you announce each word, so they hear it while they see the image. With older students, try circumlocution to help them pick out the pictures that go with each word you say.

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