Teaching Thankfulness

Last night, as I was tucking my son into bed, I asked him what he was thankful for.  The conversation went like this:

Me: Let’s say our prayers. What are you thankful for today?

M: I’m thankful that I’m a leaf expert.

Me: A leaf expert?

M: Yep, I’m thankful that I’m a leaf expert. That’s because I’m able to see the beautiful colors on the trees.

This conversation made my heart swell.  Though I know my children hear me talk about our many blessings and things I am thankful for, it caused me to wonder if I am doing all I can to teach my children about living with a thankful heart. I believe a big piece of teaching our children to count their blessings is taking time to do so ourselves – and then encouraging them to do the same.

Before Thanksgiving dinner, my nana used to ask us to write down one thing we were thankful for and then we shared them before eating our meal. This is something I know I didn’t appreciate nearly as much at the time as I do now, but it helped me to understand the importance behind this time of year and counting my blessings. She is ninety-seven years old now (something I am thankful for each day!) and may not even remember having us do this. However, it’s because of her simple act that I decided to make a Thankful Tree last year during the Thanksgiving season and put it in the middle of our kitchen table.  My son had such a great time with it! This tree encouraged conversations about being thankful during meals throughout the season, not just on Thanksgiving Day. (When a three-year-old shares that he is thankful for horses and muffins, it causes a gal to put things in perspective!)  I plan to do the Thankful Tree again this year. Here are some other ways to teach kids about having a thankful heart this Thanksgiving season:

1)      Simply talk about things you are thankful for with your children. Dinner time is a great time to do this. Have them tell you one thing they are thankful for. (My son says he’s thankful that I play kickball with him and my daughter is thankful for booball … also known as football!)

2)      If you have a chalkboard, use it to have each family member add something they are thankful for each day. Then, take time to talk about what each of you wrote.

3)      Make a “thankfulness jar” and have each family member write something they are thankful for each day, then read them all on Thanksgiving Day.

4)      Use Kraft paper as a table cloth or placemat and have each person at the table jot down at least one thing they are thankful for and share.

5)      Have a Blessings Board and encourage family members to add things they are thankful for, and then tack them up to the board.

Many of these ideas are not just limited to the Thanksgiving season, but can take place year-round.  The world should be full of little leaf experts! 🙂

During this Thanksgiving season, and hopefully year-round, what types of things do you do in your home to teach thankfulness to your children?