Thanksgiving in Chinese: Words, Food and Activities for Kids

Thanksgiving is a great time to learn Chinese with your child. Food, family, and saying thank you are easy topics, and kids can use the words at the table right away.

This guide shows you how to say Thanksgiving in Chinese, the food words kids need, simple sentences to practise, and five easy activities for home or class.

When Is Thanksgiving?

Canada and the United States celebrate Thanksgiving on different days.

• Canada: the second Monday in October
• United States: the fourth Thursday in November

Families and friends share a meal and say thanks for the people and things they value. Canada has used the second Monday in October since 1957 (CBC). In the US, Thanksgiving is a federal holiday on the fourth Thursday in November (US Office of Personnel Management). Thanksgiving is not a public holiday in China, but some international schools, expat families, and Chinese families living abroad mark it.

With young children, you can keep it simple: Thanksgiving is a time to say thanks, and people have celebrated thanks and harvest in many ways.

Thanksgiving Vocabulary in Chinese

Pick five to eight words to start. You don’t need to learn them all at once. A few words said often work better than a long list.

Choose your level

Start where your child is. These are starting points, not strict age limits. Reading skills and Chinese experience matter more than age.

• Ages 3–5: learn three to five words: 谢谢, 火鸡, 南瓜, 玉米. Match pictures and say the words out loud.
• Ages 6–8: learn eight to twelve words, label a Thanksgiving dinner drawing, and practise 我喜欢吃…… (I like eating…).
• Ages 9–12: write three gratitude sentences, describe a meal, or talk about how families celebrate Thanksgiving in different places.

Thanksgiving in Traditional Chinese

Families in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and many heritage learners, use Traditional characters. The pinyin stays the same.

Thanksgiving Food in Chinese

Food is the easiest way to start. Kids can see, smell, and taste these words at the table.

Food names change from place to place, and that’s normal. Pecan pie may also appear as 山核桃派 or 胡桃派. Mainland China often says 红薯 for sweet potato, while Taiwan often says 地瓜. Don’t worry about picking the “one right word.” Choose one and use it often. Green bean casserole has no fixed Chinese dish name, so explain it in English: baked green beans with a creamy sauce.

Easy sentences to practise

Once kids know the food words, put them into short sentences:

• 这是什么？ (Zhè shì shénme?) What is this?
• 这是南瓜。 (Zhè shì nánguā.) This is a pumpkin.
• 我喜欢南瓜派。 (Wǒ xǐhuan nánguā pài.) I like pumpkin pie.
• 我想吃土豆泥。 (Wǒ xiǎng chī tǔdòu ní.) I want to eat mashed potatoes.
• 你喜欢吃什么？ (Nǐ xǐhuan chī shénme?) What do you like to eat?
• 我喜欢吃玉米。 (Wǒ xǐhuan chī yùmǐ.) I like eating corn.

Want picture cards for these words? The Thanksgiving Food Chinese Learning Montessori 3-Part Flashcards give kids a control card with a picture, pinyin, and Chinese word, plus separate picture and word cards to match. They print at 5″ x 7″, a good size for small hands.

How to Say Thank You in Chinese

Thanksgiving is a natural time to practise saying thank you. These phrases work all year.

Two easy patterns

Kids learn these best by saying them again and again with real people:

• 谢谢 + person: 谢谢妈妈。(Xièxie māma.) 谢谢老师。(Xièxie lǎoshī.) 谢谢爷爷。(Xièxie yéye.)
• 谢谢你 + action: 谢谢你帮我。(Xièxie nǐ bāng wǒ.) Thank you for helping me. 谢谢你陪我玩。(Xièxie nǐ péi wǒ wán.) Thank you for playing with me.

For more phrases and everyday examples, see how to say thank you in Chinese like a native.

Five Thanksgiving Chinese Activities for Kids

You don’t need a big lesson plan. Each activity takes 10–15 minutes and works at home, in weekend Chinese school, or in a Mandarin class.

Activity 1: Match Words to Pictures

Best for: ages 3–8.
You need: picture cards or simple drawings, and word cards.

Choose five to eight food words. Lay out the pictures and ask kids to match each one to its Chinese word, then say the word out loud. Beginners can use pinyin. Confident readers can match characters alone. For kids who can’t read yet, use picture cards only: say the word, let them point to the picture, then ask them to say it back.

Activity 2: Draw a Thanksgiving Dinner

Best for: ages 4–10.
You need: paper and colours.

Kids draw a Thanksgiving meal and label three to five foods in Chinese, such as 火鸡, 玉米, and 南瓜派. Older kids add a sentence: 我喜欢吃南瓜派。

Activity 3: Make a Chinese Gratitude Journal

Best for: ages 5–12.
You need: a notebook or printable page.

Kids finish this sentence: 我感谢…… (Wǒ gǎnxiè…) I’m thankful for…

• 我感谢我的家人。(Wǒ gǎnxiè wǒ de jiārén.) I’m thankful for my family.
• 我感谢我的老师。(Wǒ gǎnxiè wǒ de lǎoshī.) I’m thankful for my teacher.
• 我感谢我的朋友。(Wǒ gǎnxiè wǒ de péngyou.) I’m thankful for my friends.

Younger kids draw and repeat the sentence with you. Older kids write two or three sentences. Our Thank You Coloring Cards are a ready-made way to add a thank-you drawing.

Activity 4: Guess the Thanksgiving Food

Best for: ages 5–10.
You need: nothing, or food pictures.

Read a clue in Chinese. Kids guess the food. Show pictures if they need help.

• 它是橙色的。它可以做成派。(Tā shì chéngsè de. Tā kěyǐ zuò chéng pài.) It’s orange. It can be made into a pie. → 南瓜
• 它是红色的。它是酱。(Tā shì hóngsè de. Tā shì jiàng.) It’s red. It’s a sauce. → 蔓越莓酱
• 它很大，是一只鸟。(Tā hěn dà, shì yì zhī niǎo.) It’s big, and it’s a bird. → 火鸡

Then let kids make up a clue for you.

Activity 5: Sing a Chinese Gratitude Song

Best for: ages 3–10.

Songs help kids remember sounds and phrases. Teach a few key words first: 谢谢, 爸爸, 妈妈, and 朋友. Then listen together and ask each child to draw someone to thank. Our Chinese gratitude song for kids article has vocabulary and follow-up ideas for 《感谢》 (Gǎnxiè), a children’s song that thanks parents, teachers, friends, and nature.

A five-day plan

Short practice beats long study. Try five minutes a day:

Don’t overthink it. If a day gets skipped, pick up where you left off.

Ready-to-Use Thanksgiving Chinese Resources

If you’d rather not make everything yourself, the Thanksgiving Theme Chinese Learning Pack for Kids gives you printable activities for the whole theme:

• Thanksgiving theme and Thanksgiving dinner vocabulary flashcards
• Trace-and-write Chinese word worksheets
• Color-and-learn vocabulary pages
• Counting, maze, matching, and “what comes next” worksheets
• A favourite Thanksgiving dish worksheet
• Turkey craft and symmetry drawing
• Thanksgiving coloring pages
• A gratitude journal page
• A Thanksgiving scavenger hunt

Which one fits you?

• Choose the food flashcards if you mainly want food words and 3-part card games.
• Choose the learning pack if you want cards, worksheets, crafts, and gratitude activities in one download. It already includes Thanksgiving dinner flashcards, so you don’t need both.

Looking for more fall ideas? Read how to say autumn in Chinese, try the Fall Theme Chinese Learning Pack, or learn Chinese proverbs on gratitude.

Frequently Asked Questions About Thanksgiving in Chinese

Make Thanksgiving a Chinese Moment

You don’t need a perfect lesson. Pick a few words, say them at dinner, and let your child thank someone in Chinese. Small, happy practice builds real confidence.

感恩节快乐！ Happy Thanksgiving!

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