This is the time of year that we focus on being thankful while simultaneously making our wish lists. This can be a particularly hard time for children to remember to be thankful and show gratitude. I teach thankfulness while homeschooling by incorporating these fun and easy activities.
Teaching thankfulness while homeschooling is not always easy, especially during the holidays, but making a Thankful Wall helps. Our Thankful Wall reminds my kids to be thankful every day. I displayed the turkey Give Thanks to the Lord Bulletin Board Set on Blue Fadeless Paper Roll framed with Burlap Scalloped Bulletin Board Border. I made bows to accent the corners of the Thankful Wall with Wide Natural Burlap and scattered Large Fall Leaves all over the wall. At the beginning of the season, we take time to write down things we are most thankful for on a heart and add them to the Thankful Wall. Each day we are reminded of all the wonderful things we are thankful for!
A thankful jar is a great way to show your appreciation for one another. Making a Thankful Jar is easy, all you need is a Mason Jar, some Twine, a Note Pad, and some pencils. I used a heart from the Thanksgiving Turkey Bulletin Board Set to label the Thankful Jar. Instruct everyone to write a special thank you note to someone and be specific. Fold the notes up and place them in the jar. Later, open the notes and read them together. This simple activity encourages everyone to be thankful for one another.
These adorable Thankful Turkey Enter with a Thankful Heart Sign Crafts are a fun way to discuss what we are thankful for. On each colorful heart, my children wrote something they are thankful for. I helped the youngest write what he is thankful for while the older children completed this step on their own. When finished, they displayed their unique thankful turkey on their doors. Not only is this a darling turkey craft, but it is also a daily reminder of what they have to be thankful for!
I set up this thankfulness activity as a brain break during our homeschool day. Making thankful leaves is a fun thankfulness activity that takes focus and creativity. I set out some Magic Color Scratch Black Fall Leaves and let them get creative! They can draw or write something they are thankful for and hang them on our indoor plants for everyone to see! I love seeing their finished designs hanging on our "thankful tree." Being thankful is not just for children, it is good for adults to practice doing too! This would be a great Thanksgiving Day activity for everyone!
I incorporate thankfulness in our writing often. I encourage my children to write about what they are thankful for as well as who they are thankful for. We practice addressing envelopes and writing friendly letters. I repurposed these All About Turkeys Writing Prompt Crafts for our thankfulness writing. As they write, they are thinking about what it means to be thankful. The turkey is so stinking cute and fun to put together. The lined paper is perfect for my youngest child to practice his writing. There are twenty-four crafts, so we can work on our writing for the whole month.
Art offers a variety of ways to be creative and shows thankfulness through giving. These precious DIY Mini Ceramic Woodland Animal Planters are the perfect fall art project. My children chose their favorite woodland character from owl, bear, or raccoon and Tropical Assorted Colors Acrylic Paints. They took time and focused on creating a beautiful masterpiece for our neighbors. When they dried, we filled them with mini succulents. Each piece was purposefully created as a thank-you.
Taking a lesson outside and offering real-world experience is important for children to understand cause and effect and their place in the community. Teaching thankfulness and giving back go hand in hand. We wanted to bless our neighbors and show our thankfulness to them. We wrote thank-you letters on the All About Turkeys Writing Prompt Crafts, created works of art with adorable DIY Mini Ceramic Woodland Animal Planters, and filled a Mason Jar with HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Mildly Sweet Chocolate Miniatures Assortment and HERSHEY'S KISSES Milk Chocolates for each neighbor. We put all these gifts into a Large Many Thanks Black & Gold Kraft Paper Gift Bags and delivered them to our neighbors. There were smiles, tears of joy and a wealth of thankfulness! It was a wonderful experience that we will never forget.
We also show thankfulness by donating clothing, toys and time to our community. Teaching thankfulness is an ongoing lesson. Find ways you can incorporate some of these thankfulness activities into your days or come up with some of your own and enjoy a thankful homeschool!
