Thanksgiving Gratitude Pack

Thanksgiving day is almost upon us.  This is a good time to teach children about gratitude. In a recent study by the Wall Street Journal children who practiced gratitude had better grades and were less likely to be depressed. When a child practices gratitude the child is more likely to have pleasant interactions with other children and adults.

Its important for us all to appreciate what we have. Thinking back on all I have to be thankful for this year, I can see times myself when I failed to practice gratitude. I have used these mistakes as teaching moments. When we discussed gratitude  I brought up times when I should have been more grateful. Then we discussed what could have gone differently.

I have made this packet to help go with the gratitude theme.

There are leaves where you can write what you are thankful for and attach it to the thankfulness tree.
You can do one leaf a day until Thanksgiving, or give a couple of leaves per child and let them write what they are thankful for.

There are worksheets that help us think about what we are thankful for. The worksheets feature God, Family, Friends, Country, and Needs. There are ten places to write what you are thankful for each subject, but you do not have to use them all. It could be overwhelming for some children.

There are Thankfulness place cards that you can use for Thanksgiving day.  These cards have a place for a name on the front. On the back people can take turns writing why they are thankful for that person. Then the person can read the cards during Thanksgiving Dinner.

There are also Gratitude Cards. These cards can be handed out to anyone who has made his life a little better. There are special cards for mailmen, garbage men, cashiers, doctors, librarians, teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and anyone else you think needs a special thank you.