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How to Have Thankful Children

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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.
Garden of Learning is hosting a Gratitude Challenge 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

Search the Bible

Bible Study Tools

Check out some of my favorite Bible Study tools for tackling any topic including thankfulness!

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

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.

“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

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agent009 Nov 27, 2011 @ 6:09 pm | delete

For those who aren't Christians and really anyone in general, just raise them with modesty, humility, and compassion for those who don't have as much.

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bygproductions Nov 3, 2010 @ 1:47 pm | delete

Great reminders and ideas. Have posted it on my facebook page, Homeschool Preschool thru High School

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lemonsqueezy Oct 6, 2010 @ 11:10 am | delete

Oh wow! This is a great lens. Thanks for stopping by to my Creating a Thankful Tree lens. I am going to lensroll this to my lens as well. Very well done.

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jgelien Dec 7, 2009 @ 3:41 pm | delete

Lovely lens. It's important to teach children the importance of thankfulness in such a "me me me" world. 5*