Gratitude/ Thankfulness in the Bible:
Psalm 100 Communal Thanks in the Temple
Luke 17:12-19- The Cleansing of the 10 Lepers
Ways to help kids practice Gratitude:
Model saying “thank you”. Heartfelt statements help children understand what gratitude is supposed to look like. Additionally, modeling gratitude through kind thank you notes or pictures helps children of all ages understand different ways to express gratitude.
Have conversations about being grateful. Use the four elements below to describe how we experience gratitude.
Noticing – Recognizing the things you have to be grateful for.
Thinking – Thinking about why you’ve been given those things.
Feeling – The emotions you experience as a result of the things you’ve been given.
Doing – The way you express appreciation.
Participate in random acts of kindness. Help your children/students be engaged in the process. Maybe one month you are looking for ways to practice these acts in your neighborhood, at school, at home.
Establish a gratitude ritual. Make it a habit to regularly express gratitude in your family and classroom. Maybe on your commute to school or during dinner - take a moment to express gratitude with your family. Maybe during silent reading time, students can spend a couple minutes writing or drawing something they are grateful for on this day.
Look for silver linings: Ask questions that help a child discover the potential silver lining in a tough situation. Ask, "What's something good that could come from something hard like this?"
Simple Circle Activity
Begin the Circle with a Prayer
One word check in: your favorite animal
Question 1: Something in nature you are grateful for?
Question 2: What is one thing you are grateful for that money cannot buy?
Question 3: What is a strength of yours that you are grateful for?
One word check out: Favorite snack
End the Circle with Prayer
Gratitude Circle Activity
Gather a group of students in person or virtually. Choose someone to lead a gratitude circle by giving the following instructions to the group:
1.“We are going to do something different. Settle into your body now. Put yourself in a relaxing position. We will begin this circle with a prayer.”
2. Close your eyes and bring your attention inward. Tune in to the feeling of your body in the chair, your feet on the floor, and your breath as it comes in and out through your nose or mouth. As you brought your attention to your body, now bring awareness to your thoughts and feelings. Know that you don’t have to change anything you think or feel right now, just take a moment to notice. [Pause]
3. Begin to consider some things for which you are thankful. You might start with what is around you and what you feel, and gradually broaden to more abstract things: this place where I am living right now, these comfortable socks, my able body, the apple I just ate, my best friend, my family, art, music, etc.
4. As you think of these things, linger on the feelings that arise in your gratitude [allow time for consideration].
5. Now we are going to hold a gratitude circle, where we call into the circle these things that we are grateful for, listen to each other, and allow time for the reflection. Keep your eyes closed if possible, and your attention inward. When you feel inspired just say out loud one of these things for which you are thankful.
6. Allow the circle to continue a little longer than is comfortable. Long silences give participants time to consider and feel.
7. When it is time to close, say “Now settle into silence with your attention back to your body, thoughts, and feelings. Feel your breath in your nose or mouth.
Take a moment to look at all the faces in the group, one by one. Notice and appreciate our classroom community.”
8. End with Prayer
Family Activity: Gratitude
Create a Gratitude Jar
Materials
• Clear Jar (glass or plastic)
• Art Supplies (ribbons, stickers, magazine cutouts, etc.)
• Gratitude Slips (blank strips of paper, or slips with gratitude prompts)
Instructions:
Begin by helping each child personalize their jar with decorations. Use ribbons, stickers, magazine cut-outs, items found in nature, or anything else you can imagine. After decorating the jars, it’s time to add the first three gratitude statements. A gratitude statement acknowledges something that a person appreciates or is thankful for. Participants can use the prompts or they can write their own gratitudes on blank slips.
Here are some examples: “I am grateful for my cat because she makes me laugh.” “I am thankful for the dinner I had tonight. It was my favorite: pizza!” “I appreciate my grandma because she visited me when I was sick.”
Once the participants have written down three gratitude statements—one per slip of paper—spend a moment discussing each one. Finally, fold the gratitude statements, and add them to the jar. Plan for children to write three gratitude statements, and add them to their jars, each day. Encourage parents to make the gratitude jar part of their daily routine, including a brief discussion about each of their child’s gratitudes. This activity works great as part of a bedtime routine.
Prompt Examples:
Today was special because…
I appreciate (person), because…
Something I accomplished today…
Something I’m looking forward to…
Something I am thankful for…
Something I like about my family…
Three people who make me happy are…
I felt happy today when…
Something little that makes me smile…
Today I had fun when…