The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a yearly tradition, and Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet brings that magic to life! If you’re looking for engaging ways to use Balloons Over Broadway Activities, you’ve found the right blog post!
Teachers love using Balloons Over Broadway in the classroom to explore the history and creativity behind the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This story introduces Tony Sarg, the creative mastermind behind the first parade balloons, and gives students a peek into the world of puppetry, parade floats, and oversized character balloons. Through this book, students learn about innovation, problem-solving, and the importance of creativity.
1. Read Aloud Balloons Over Broadway
If you haven’t already read this book to your classroom in November, add this into your lessons! It’s a great history into the parade, but it will give the students a great idea of what happens at the parade!
- Grab the Balloons Over Broadway read aloud here with my Amazon affiliate link.
2. Show a video about the parade!
Let students watch a Scholastic video about how these floats and balloons are made!
- Click here to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade YouTube Video.
3. Balloon Character Design Challenge
After your Balloons Over Broadway read aloud, let students get creative with this Thanksgiving parade craft for kids. Students can brainstorm and design their own parade balloon character, inspired by the story.
- Materials Needed: Paper, markers, colored pencils, crayons.
- Instructions: Share images of famous parade balloons. Then, have students create and draw a unique character with a short description of why it would be a hit in the parade!
4. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Nonfiction Flip Book
Engage students in nonfiction reading with a flip book all about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! This activity is perfect for strengthening comprehension skills while learning about the history and details of the parade.
5. Writing Prompt: “If I Were a Parade Host”
Combine reading with writing by asking students to imagine they’re the announcers at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
- Materials Needed: Paper, pencils, video clip of a parade announcer.
- Instructions: After viewing a short video clip, students write a short script describing the floats and balloons coming down the imaginary parade route. This activity reinforces vocabulary and Speaking & Listening skills.
6. Thanksgiving Parade Note-Taking and List-Making Practice
Show old clips on YouTube of a past Thanksgiving Day Parade. As you watch various clips, allow students to have a clipboard and a piece of paper. They can make notes of what floats they see, what characters they see, and other types of things they watch on the video.
Thanks for reading this week’s blog post! Want more Thanksgiving ideas?
- Thanksgiving Bulletin Board Ideas
- Teaching Native American Tribes, Regions, and More!
- Planning a Class Feast
