Encouraging Thankful Hearts
With the cooling of the air and the changing colors of the leaves, our thoughts are often drawn to the approaching holidays. Way too often Thanksgiving is called Turkey Day. I like a turkey dinner as much as anyone, but I believe we need to redirect our thoughts towards the practice of thankfulness.
Start with Yourself
Do you ever wonder why your ungrateful family is so ungrateful? Do you find yourself nagging about people's ungrateful attitudes? I know I have. The first step in encouraging thankful hearts is to be thankful yourself.
- Make a list of things for which you're thankful.
- Thank God for the many blessings He has given you.
- Search the Bible for verses on thankfulness.
- Think of people you are thankful for and tell them.
To Do Today:
Get groceries
Cook dinner
Clean bathrooms
Be thankful
Creative Ways to Make Your Thankful List
Here are some creative ways you and your family can make a thankful list
- Make a thankful book.
Kinderplans has a simple one for small children. - Make a thankful scrapbook page or collage.
About.com has some beautiful examples of scrapbook pages. - Participate or host a thankful blog meme.
Here is a weekly meme called Thankful Thursday. - Give Thanks is a new blog created as a gratitude journal.
- South Breeze Farm is hosting a Thankful-month meme for November.
Thank God for Your Blessings
Remember God is the ultimate source of all you are and have.
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Colossians 3:17
Colossians 3:17
Search the Bible
Bible Study Tools
Check out some of my favorite Bible Study tools for tackling any topic including thankfulness!
Nave's Topical Bible (Super Value Series)
Amazon Price: $13.58 (as of 11/10/2009) 
The Complete Wordstudy Dictionary: New Testament (Word Study Series)
Amazon Price: (as of 11/10/2009)
The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament
Amazon Price: $31.49 (as of 11/10/2009)
Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words: Super Value Edition
Amazon Price: $19.78 (as of 11/10/2009)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible
Amazon Price: (as of 11/10/2009)
Write Thank You Notes
I must be the first to confess that I am not particularly fond of writing thank you notes. At least not the ones that I feel obligated to write. But what about writing thank you notes to people just for all the things they've done over the years, or who they are, or what they mean to you. The possibilities are endless. Receiving a note from you might really brighten their day.
Thank you notes
Blue Elegance Thank You Notes (Stationery, Note Cards)
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 11/11/2009)
Shadow Tapestry Thank You Notes (Stationery, Note Cards) (Note Card Series)
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 11/11/2009)
Soho Dots Thank You Notes (Stationery, Note Cards) (Note Card Series)
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 11/11/2009)
Thanking Your Children
When you were thinking of the things you were thankful for, did you think of your children? I imagine if you're a parent, unless you're having a REALLY bad day, you did. However, have you told them you're thankful for them?
What about writing your children a note to put on their pillow about how you're thankful for them?
Or maybe you could put a note in their backpack or lunchbox. (unless it might embarrass them, then they might not be so thankful for you!)
What about thanking your children? Do you thank them for helping you? I know I'm guilty of not thanking my children for all that they do.
Modeling thankfulness for the things they do will go a long way towards fostering a thankful attitude towards you.
What about writing your children a note to put on their pillow about how you're thankful for them?
Or maybe you could put a note in their backpack or lunchbox. (unless it might embarrass them, then they might not be so thankful for you!)
What about thanking your children? Do you thank them for helping you? I know I'm guilty of not thanking my children for all that they do.
Modeling thankfulness for the things they do will go a long way towards fostering a thankful attitude towards you.
"Be thankful!"
Teaching Your Children to Be Thankful
- Have your child make a thankful list.
- Lead your children in prayer thanking God for the things that they are thankful.
- Memorize a verse about thankfulness.
- Encourage them to thank others.
- Help your children to think of others who are not as "fortunate" as they are.
- Practice giving to others. One thing we've enjoyed in the past is Operation Christmas Child. Another idea is to adopt a child through Angel Tree ministry.
- Practice serving others. Check and see where you can volunteer with your children. Some ideas are homeless shelters, food pantries, and nursing homes.
Treats
Make sure that a treat is really a treat by making them unusual instead of the norm. If you always buy your child a small toy when you're shopping, it doesn't encourage thankfulness. Instead they come to expect it!
Thankful activities
- Audrey's Thanksgiving Links
- This site has a collection of articles about being thankful. There are also writing and Bible activity ideas.
- Free Kids Crafts
- Make a chain and write on it the things for which you are thankful.
- Thanksgiving Lapbook
- This wonderful lens has tons of ideas for making a Thanksgiving lapbook.
- A Kids Heart
- This page has a game to unscramble the words in I Thessalonians 5:18.
- Alphabet Soup
- On this page, your child can submit what they are thankful for to be posted on the site. There are also several pages of children's thankful lists.
- The Teaching Home
- This is an archive of a newsletter from The Teaching Home. It has some excellent ideas on teaching thankfulness to your children.
- CurrClick
- My Thankfulness Journal is a pdf file to download. It is not free, but is inexpensive.
- Character Journal No.3 Gratefulness
- This is the first of a monthly mailing designed to help parents teach Biblical character qualities to their children. Each month a different character quality will be presented with suggestions for Bible lessons and projects.
- Be Thankful Bible Study
- Homeschooled-Kids.com
- (In)Courage: Give Thanks {A Family Project}
- Give Thanks Countdown Calendar
Reader Feedback
Kristenph wrote...
in reply to OhMe Thank you. I just figured out what a lensroll was. I added your site to this lens.
Posted November 15, 2008
OhMe wrote...
Oh, what a wonderful lens. I love your son's video. Lensrolling to Thanksgiving Prayer.
Posted November 15, 2008
Michelle_Claire wrote...
Thanks for the list of links. I was looking for something worth doing with my two children. They are 6 and 3 years old. We are going to work on our first thankful list after school for them to share with the family on Thanksgiving.
Posted November 13, 2008
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