Gratitude Projects for Children

Teaching children gratitude is one of the most important things we can instill in our children. Having a thankful mind set early on sure can save a lot of grief later in life. A friend of mine was just telling me how her daughter has an iPhone 6 and she was whining about needing the latest and greatest one for Christmas. Being the amazing mother that she is, she used this as a teaching opportunity and reminded her daughter how lucky she is to have a phone at all. So, it got me thinking about how you can never remind your children enough about the importance of being thankful for what you have. November is the perfect time to introduce projects or activities that teach gratitude. Start now and this can become a tradition with your family that can be passed down for generations.

Gratitude Projects for Children

Home Made Gratitude Journals 

Have your children make their own gratitude journal. All you need is blank letter size paper cut in half. A piece of card board or card stock for the cover and back. They can decorate the cover with stickers or cover with fun paper from the craft store. The letter size paper comes in lots of designs or you can even use wrapping paper.  Hole punch the papers and run a ribbon through it to make a book. If children are old enough they can write in their own journal. Your younger kids can draw pictures.  It will make an amazing keepsake when they are older. It’s a perfect bedtime routine to add to children’s lives. It can help little ones wind down from the day and fall asleep with feeling of gratitude.

Gratitude Jars

Establish a gratitude jar in a central location in your house. You can use scraps of paper, make or download little “thankful” cards. Have the kids write on them when they think of something they are grateful for and put it in the jar. On family night you can read the little notes together as a family. Other projects could be making a collage with everyone contributing on one single family combined collage of pictures from magazines, flyers, or pictures of things that you are grateful for or have each person create their own and add to it continually as life offers new things that they have experienced.

Thank You Cards

Bring writing  “ Thank You “  cards back into your life. Your children will learn to think about why they appreciate something or someone. This lets them express gratitude and brighten someone’s day. It would be a fun and easy family project. Drawing pictures and writing words in crayon on paper then go over it with watercolors for a fun design. Everyone will love their heartfelt messages.

Giving Heart

Donating helps your children understand how fortunate they are – and everything they have to be grateful for – a roof over their heads, clothes, toys and a loving family. When your children learn to give to those less fortunate whether with their toys or clothes they have out grown or by earning money from a garage sale and donating the money to a cause (the food bank, an animal shelter, the Special Olympics) they help make this better world and bring joy to others.

Gratitude Scavenger Hunt

Use this idea as a way to get your children thinking about nature, our earth and the world around them. Put a scavenger hunt together where they select things from outside that they are thankful for. Beautiful Fall leaves, shiny rocks, the shape of a flower or even a feather from a bird. Appreciating our beautiful world will also teach them to take care of it.

Volunteering 

Yes, yes, yes! Do this with you kids and entire family…it is so rewarding! A simple Google search will turn up all kinds of volunteer opportunities in your city. Food pantries, homeless shelters, Salvation Army Angel Tree, Dog Shelters and of course churches.

We love hearing from you and what you have tried, so please be sure to shoot us an email or post on our facebook  melanie.jones@penguinpatch.com

Practice gratitude each and every day through your thoughts, words and actions!

-Melanie