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Activities / Creative Corner / Holidays

Creative hands-on activities to teach kids gratitude for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Gratitude

Admittedly, November is traditionally my least favorite month of the year…an in-betweener with dark nights, colder weather and lack of snow. However, when I focus on Thanksgiving and gratitude, my outlook drastically improves. Here are some fun ways to teach your kids gratitude all month long! 

  • Just say THANKS: Voicing your gratitude is the first step in becoming a great role model for your kids, family and friends. Share all the things that you’re thankful for on Facebook, Twitter, and in your own home. Send thank-you cards or have your children draw pictures and send them to loved ones. 
  • Gratitude journal Start a tradition of keeping a gratitude journal with our kids. Grab a notebook or there are so many cute options including the Creative Gratitude Journal for Kids: A Journal to Teach Kids to Practice the Attitude of Gratitude and Mindfulness in a Creative & Fun Way. 
  • Share appreciation. A fun activity to do for Thanksgiving is take a piece of paper for each person in the house and write down something you love about them, and give an example. For instance, I wrote that I  love how giving and caring my friend is for others. She saves soda cans in order to give to her son. When they have enough cans to turn in for money, they donate it to a local animal shelter.
  • Gratitude Challenges. Pinterest is flooded with ideas on daily gratitude prompts and printables. November may have already started but it’s never too late to be thankful.Contagious gratitude
  • Gratitude tree. One of our annual traditions is to make a gratitude tree (or basket) out of poster board. We spend all month long posting “leaves” on the branches as we share our gratitude. You could also have your family keep a Gratitude Journal or a Gratitude Jar that the children fill all month long and on Thanksgiving, you read it together.
  • Gratitude Pictionary or Charades! Each person takes turns acting out or drawing out what they are most thankful for.
  • What are your most thankful for, from A-Z? Fill this out with your family and your answers will range from serious to silly.az
  • Start your own sassy gratitude journal. Are you an exhausted Denver mom and don’t feel connected to all the cheesy Hallmark-esque gratitude products on the market? Then the F*** This Sh** Show: A Gratitude Journal for Tired-Ass Women (Cuss Words Make me Happy)
  • Send a holiday care package or letter to a soldier. Many men and women in the military are out of the country and away from their families for Thanksgiving. Any Soldier is an organization that has provided care packages to over 96,000 service members. Check out their website at www.anysoldier.com to see the extensive list of popular items requested my soldiers overseas and thank them for their hard work and dedication to serving our country.
  • Serve Thanksgiving Dinner at a Homeless Shelter. Many donate food to the homeless for the holidays. Lend your hands at a local homeless shelter to prepare, cook, and serve a tasty meal for those in need. To find a shelter in your area, visit this searchable directory at www.homelessshelterdirectory.org. Call your local homeless shelter to see if they’re still accepting volunteers. If not, this deed is something to keep in mind for next year. All shelters are accepting food donations, which could help all those in need too!

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Mile High Mamas
Author: Mile High Mamas

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