While every day of the year is a great time to practice gratitude and teach our children to do the same, Thanksgiving is an extra special occasion we can make a big deal of.
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Here are several ways we can encourage Thanksgiving gratitude for kids.
Keep A Gratitude Journal For A Week
Start each day of the month by giving your child a writing prompt. Choose mundane things your child may not even think of. Encourage them to think of several reasons they are thankful for whatever prompt you gave them that day.
For children who are not writing yet, encourage them to think out loud, and if you want, write it down for them!
Here’s a free printable you can use.
You might also want to consider these journals to use year-round. These are my top picks for a child and for mom!
Send Thank You Notes To Loved Ones
I remember when I was younger. We used to love writing letters and sending mail. Even more, we loved receiving mail! These days, with technological advancements such as e-mail, text messages, messenger, video calls, etc., many children don’t get to experience the joy of putting a smile on someone’s face with a little note.
Sending little thank you note cards to loved ones can be a great way to practice gratitude this Thanksgiving, as well as put a smile on the recipient’s face!
These cards are my top pick Thanksgiving Thank You note cards. They are small and neat, and come with beautiful gold foil envelopes. They are fun for kids!
But here are some great alternatives:
- Big Dot Of Happiness Happy Thanksgiving Thank You Cards
- Hallmark Blank Pastel Note Cards
- Unique Assortment Of Greeting Cards With Stickers
- Bright Pattern Greeting Cards
All of these cards come with envelopes, and most of them are small and perfect for kids.
Prayer and/or Meditation
Many of us pray daily but don’t put much emphasis on thanking God for the wonderful things in our lives.
Helping kids understand that prayer is not just about asking for things we want, or for help, can really help promote a gracious spirit.
How about setting aside time each day to pray a prayer of gratitude? The goal of these prayers would just be to thank God for the many blessings in life. From simple things like flowers to big things like having food to eat and big things like being so loved.
Likewise, quiet time to think of all the things we are grateful for is very beneficial for our well being. Gratitude meditation can help us to calm down, de-stress, and keep things in perspective.
Thanksgiving Paper Chain
Remember those paper chains we used to make for Christmas when we were kids? Weren’t those SO much fun? I know I used to love making those!
You can make a Thanksgiving paper chain in the very same way. On each chain link, write something you are thankful for.
This is an awesome Thanksgiving gratitude activity for kids because it is fun, and they can keep and admire the finished product for as long as they choose to.
Learn how to make a Thanksgiving Paper Chain here.
Gratitude/Kindness Stones
You know those neat little rock paintings some people create and leave all over? You can buy the perfect rocks and have them shipped directly to your home!
Your children can paint pictures of things they are thankful for, and decorate these stones in a variety of ways.
Then they can leave them at parks for others to discover!
Of course, they could also start their own little gratitude rock garden if they grow too attached!
These decorating stones are absolutely perfect!
You might want to consider purchasing the following along with your decorating stones to make this project fun and stress-free:
- Acrylic paint pens – These work great for rock painting. The colors are vivid and will help your child create gratitude rocks they are proud of.
- Rock Art Handbook – perfect for learning rock painting techniques and getting full color inspiration. Your children will be rock painting professionals in no time!
Final Thoughts
Here are 5 simple ways to encourage Thanksgiving gratitude for kids. These activities will inspire your child to think outside of themselves and remember that there are so many wonderful things in life to be grateful for.
It will help them to remember that Thanksgiving is all about celebrating bountiful goodness in life, sharing and spending time with loved ones.
Which activity will your family try first?
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