Balloons Over Broadway Book Companion

October 16, 2026

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November is always so hectic in first grade. From trying to cover the curriculum to losing a week of school and squeezing in Thanksgiving crafts, teachers are exhausted! Fortunately, this Balloons Over Broadway book companion is a done-for-you book companion that your students will love!

Balloons Over Broadway

Balloons Over Broadway is a classic book that is read every November in classrooms around the world. It tells the story of Tony, the man who created the balloons for the Macy’s Day parade.

This Balloons Over Broadway book companion features anchor chart pieces, bulletin board letters, writing crafts, crown crafts, differentiated worksheets, bingo cards, and balloon design templates.

First, our class starts with reading Balloons Over Broadway. You can choose to move right into the activities or do a re-read of the story.

We use the anchor chart pieces to sort the characters and setting and review vocabulary from the book. Then, we retell the story using the retelling cards.

  • Blue fabric pocket-chart display with orange-bordered vocabulary cards and cartoon characters, likely a classroom learning board.
  • Colorful classroom vocabulary cards spread over a yellow background, showing words like characters, retelling, and vocabulary with cartoon figures.

Balloons Over Broadway Worksheets

After retelling the story, we move into the worksheets. There are so many worksheets included in this pack that I usually pick and choose which ones I want to use. We always use the crowns, graphing, and problem/solution worksheets.

Young kids love making crowns to wear. There’s just something about them that makes them so excited, so I always incorporate crowns into all of my holiday activities.

Colorful collage of children's worksheets, drawings, and school supplies like crayons and notebooks on a bright desk.

The problem and solution worksheet works really well with this book because Tony comes across many problems when designing balloons for Macys. The graphing worksheet is always a hit with kids, too because they get to vote for their favorite balloon (fair warning: things may get heated when voting for the best balloons – that’s how much kids love it!). Also included in the worksheets are:

  1. main idea and details
  2. prediction
  3. character traits
  4. venn diagrams
  5. beginning, middle, end
  6. problem and solution
  7. cause and effect
  8. characters and setting
  9. character emotions
  10. author and illustrator
  11. lesson / message
  12. text connections
  13. retelling
  14. character changes
  15. syllables
  16. rhyming words
  17. abc order
  18. writing
  19. opinion
  20. vocabulary
  21. visualization
  22. comprehension
  23. directed drawing
  24. graphing
  25. word search
  26. making words
  27. design a balloon
  28. STEM project
  29. comprehension
  • Colorful classroom worksheet titled Vote for the best balloon with a grid to tally syllables and cartoon balloons.
  • Person holding a worksheet titled 'Problem & Solution' about balloons, with a handwritten name and colorful drawings in the margins.

Thanksgiving Bingo Cards

Ready for some fun? Grab the pre-made Thanksgiving bingo cards and calling cards for some excitement! You can be the caller or you can choose a student to call the items. All cards come with the picture and name, making it accessible for all learners in your classroom. Grab some bingo chips and start calling!

Colorful bingo cards with cartoon food icons (turkey, pie, cranberries) and school supplies like notebooks and pencils.

Design A Balloon For The Thanksgiving Parade

At last, my favorite part of this Balloons Over Broadway book companion – designing your own balloon! 20 balloon template designs are included, from a lion to a unicorn to a rainbow. These templates were designs to make designing balloons easier for you, but feel free to allow kids to design their own balloon without the templates.

There is also a non-balloon version for teachers who don’t want to blow up balloons for kids (a small air pump is great for this if you suck at blowing up balloons like I do)! Kids can create a balloon design and glue the balloon template to a piece of construction paper.

  • Colorful classroom display of lion-themed student artwork on orange mane held by a hand on a wand.
  • Colorful classroom collage with cartoon animal drawings, crayons, notebooks, and a small plant on bright orange and yellow papers

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re looking for Thanksgiving activities to help lighten your load this November or for a book companion to teach the history of the Thanksgiving Day parade, this book companion is perfect for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade classrooms. Combining essential literacy skills with Thanksgiving history is why both teachers and students love this Balloons Over Broadway book companion!

Grab the Balloons Over Broadway Book Companion Pack Here

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stacie
Stacie is a former first grade teacher who loves to share educational activities to help kids learn, grow, and develop! She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s Degree in Child Development with a focus on Mental Health.
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