20 Ways to Cultivate Thankfulness in your Children
The month of November is a good seasonal reminder to focus on the idea of thankfulness within your family. Although this is something that should be taught and used each day, it is something that can get left behind in the grind of life. Cultivating thankfulness is more than reminding your kids to say their obligatory, “thank you”, after someone has given them a lollipop. It is important to model a thankful heart for your kids each day.
Excersing Thankfulness in the every day
First things first, thankfulness is learned at home. Thankfulness begins with you. Demonstrate thankfulness to your kid. Genuinely thank them for their help. Notice when they go out of their way to be sweet to their sibling. Praise them when they put other’s needs above their own.
- Encourage your kids to find the good in every situation.
- Have your children write thank you notes for gifts.
- Color pictures for their teachers to thank them for their hard work.
- During your bedtime routine, talk about three awesome things that happened that day. Lead by example. “I love when Mom makes me coffee in the morning.” “Dad, was so sweet and filled up my car with gas today!” “When you colored that picture for me, I felt so special!” “Wasn’t the sunset beautiful?! God is pretty amazing!”
- Thank God for the little things and big things in your prayers.
- Create a gratitude journal so that your kids can keep track of the awesome things that happen.
- Memorize verses on thankfulness. {I Thessalonians 5:18, Philippians 4:6}
Thankfulness projects
These thankfulness projects are great activities to do around Thanksgiving but are definitely adaptable to use all year long.
Back in my teacher days I would have my students make a thankful turkey. I taught high school and let me tell you they loved it. Most of them at least. They would trace out their hand on construction paper and write down every thing thankful for.
“What if tomorrow you only woke up for the things that you were thankful for?”
They got very specific. And then each hand made up the feathers for the turkey on my bulletin board.
- Thankful Tree
- Thankful Jar- paper slips in a jar and each day you take a slip, write something you’re thankful for and make a paper chain.
- Thankful Turkey– write down one thing on each feather.
- Thanksgiving activity papers -4 free downloads emailed right to your inbox. Get them below.
- M+M Thankfulness Game – this certainly can be used year round. Great thing to do at the dinner table. Pass out packs of M+Ms and then go around in a circle picking an M+M and saying something that their thankful for matching their corresponding color.
Serving Others Together
Doing things for others is a great way to cultivate thankfulness. Hard work helps you appreciate things a little more. Seeing how other people live helps put things into perspective. Thinking of others needs helps you have the right mindset when this season is very consumer based. Find ways in your community to serve those around you with your children.
- Put together gifts for the homeless.
- Prepare food for a shelter.
- Volunteer at a group foster home. They need help with dinners, setting up Christmas decorations, or doing a group babysitting night so that the workers can have a night off. Just call and ask how you can help.
- You could put together gift boxes for the kids as well.
- Make cookies for your neighbors.
- Have your kids volunteer to rake the neighbor’s leaves.
- Take a trash bag with you on a family walk and pick up any trash you see.
Use this November as a spring board to cultivate a thankful heart year round. Find ways to show gratitude daily and demonstrate this for your kids. Instead of ‘condemning’ their selfish, entitled attitude, teach them daily how to move in the other direction. It is certainly an area that we can all grow in.