Planning a school event for Thanksgiving can be exciting — and a little overwhelming. That’s why we created this Thanksgiving School Event Planning Checklist Template: to take the guesswork out of what to do, when, and who’s responsible.
Whether you're a teacher, school administrator, or parent-volunteer, this checklist guides you through every phase — from initial planning to wrap-up and feedback. Use it to coordinate your team, assign tasks, track logistics, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
What you’ll get:
- A fully editable checklist in Word, PDF, and Google Sheets format — ready to customise for your school’s size, budget, and theme.
- Categories include Event Basics, Organising Team & Roles, Permissions & Communication, Programme Planning, Decorations & Setup, Food & Refreshments, Activities & Games, Technical & Logistics, and After-Event Tasks.
- Plenty of space for notes and custom tasks — so you can adapt it to your school’s unique needs.
- A “Notes” section at the end to capture ideas, next year’s tweaks, or lessons learned.
Benefits:
- Save hours of planning time by working with a proven template rather than starting from scratch.
- Keep your team aligned and accountable — everyone sees who does what and when.
- Reduce last-minute chaos — logistical, technical, and communications tasks are mapped out ahead of time.
- Enhance student, staff, and family experience — with smoother set-up, clear schedule, fun activities, and meaningful gratitude moments.
- Build a documented foundation for future events — the next time you run the celebration, you already have a format and can refine it.
How to use it:
- Download the file in your preferred format (Word / PDF / Google Sheets).
- Enter your school name, event date/time, and theme at the top.
- Customize the checklist: add or drop tasks, set deadlines, and assign team members.
- Distribute to your organising committee and volunteers so everyone knows the plan.
- Use it leading up to the event — check items off as they’re completed.
- After the event, use the “Notes” section to capture feedback and ideas for next year.
Who it’s for:
This template is ideal for elementary, middle, or high schools looking to hold a Thanksgiving event — whether it's a classroom party, school-wide assembly, harvest fair, or gratitude feast. Teachers, event coordinators, parent volunteers, and administrators will all benefit.
