Teach the art of showing gratitude to others by leaning on simple gratitude activities for kids!
Teaching Kids to be Grateful
Teaching kiddos to be grateful for what they have in a world where their wants can be met in an instant is hard stuff, you guys!
With October coming to an end and November on the horizon, now is the perfect time to start working on the art of teaching gratitude.
From fun activities to everyday reminders, these gratitude activities for kids are a great way to kick off thankful season!
Action-Based Gratitude Activities for Families
While encouraging fun is great, one of the absolute best ways to raise grateful kids is by encouraging them to act.
Fulfilling action-based appreciation activities that allow children to place themselves in the shoes of someone less fortunate can be an eye-opening experience that shows them just how much they truly have to be grateful for.
So, grab your kiddos and pick out a few of these activities to work through together this November.
Check out these action-based gratitude activities for the whole family!
- Read books about gratitude
- Study Bible verses on being thankful
- Fill out a daily gratitude journal
- Tell someone you appreciate them
- Get in the habit of saying please and thank you
- Compliment someone every day
- Visit a nursing home or an elderly family member
- Make cookies for someone grieving or hurt
- Hand out socks and water to the homeless
- Pack a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child
- Give supplies to someone in need
- Supply food to your local food pantry
- Share something you are grateful for at dinner each day
There are seriously so many incredible ways you can teach children to show their appreciation and gratitude by participating in an eye-opening experience of helping someone less fortunate than themselves.
Gratitude Games for Kids
While action-based gratitude activities for families are the ideal way to teach gratitude to young children, sometimes a little fun and games can help keep the kindness momentum going!
Consider playing one of these fun grateful games with your kiddos during thankfulness season.
These thankfulness activities are perfect for Thanksgiving!
Gratitude Crafts for Kids
If you have young children who aren’t quite ready for action-based teaching activities or kiddos who just don’t love games, try leaning on simple gratitude crafts instead!
From creating a thankful tree to making thank-you cards.
Photo Creds: Crafts by Amanda
From creating a simple paper chain throughout November to making and sending out thank-you cards to the people you cherish, there are so many awesome ways little ones can begin expressing their gratitude at a young and tender age.
Check out some of my favorite go-to ideas!
- Create a grateful paper chain
- Make thank you cards
- Start a gratitude jar
- Create a thankful tree
While most thankful craft ideas tend to be Thanksgiving-focused, you can easily adapt all of the above ideas to a year-long gratitude activity!
Gratitude Activities by Age
Teaching a specific grade? Consider leaning on some of these simple kindness activities that I’ve broken up by age group.
Homeschooling and need something simple that fits a range of ages? Consider doing a kindness calendar as a family or using these gratitude prompts for a fun homeschool writing activity!
Gratitude Activities for Preschoolers + K
Teaching gratitude to preschoolers and kindergarteners can be tough stuff, you guys!
I’ve worked in both a preschool Sunday school class and kindergarten classroom, and it can be difficult for children this young to truly understand what it means to be grateful.
That said, starting simple is the way to go.
Give some of these easy gratitude activities for preschoolers and kindergarteners a try!
- Make a thankful handprint
- Create gratitude drawings
- Have children share what makes them happy
- Give thank you notes and gifts
- Read age-appropriate gratitude books
Gratitude Activities for Elementary Students
As a homeschool mom of 3, I’ve spent a lot of time encouraging my children to be grateful for the people, things, and experiences during everyday life.
All that said, sometimes a simple gratitude activity for students can be a great reminder.
Consider trying one of our free printable gratitude activity ideas!
Try some of these fun thankfulness activities geared towards elementary-aged students.
- Fill out grateful worksheets (shown above) and thankful-for worksheets
- Participate in writing prompt activities (shown above)
- Create a gratitude journal or thankful flap book
- Make a cornucopia of thanks
- Create a gratitude pumpkin
Looking for the perfect paper pumpkin to make a list of things to be thankful for? Try using our printable pumpkin templates!
You can grab any of our gratitude activity freebies listed in this post by signing up for our newsletter below.
Gratitude Activities for Teens
Have older kiddos or younger teens that need a gratitude nudge?
Check out these fun ideas for older kiddos and young teens!
- Create a gratitude journal or gratitude sketchbook
- Volunteer at a pet shelter or nursing home
- Make personalized thank you gifts for family members
It’s incredibly important for older children to stop, think, and reflect on what truly matters, and leaning on a simple gratitude activity can do just that.
Gratitude Activities FAQs
What are some activities that promote gratitude?
30 days of thankfulness activities such as making a gratitude chain or tree.
What are some fun games to encourage gratitude?
Gratitude tic-tac-toe and gratitude scavenger hunts are great games to encourage gratitude.
How do I teach my kids gratitude?
By encouraging them to reflect on everyday things we can all be grateful for.
What is the ten-finger gratitude exercise?
The ten-finger gratitude activity is when you hold all 10 fingers out in front of you and use them to count 10 things you are grateful for. This creates a simple visual that we all have at least 10 things to be grateful for every day!
Being Grateful Every Day
While working through gratitude activities is a great start, it’s incredibly important to work on the art of being grateful each and every day!
With that said, teaching kids to carry their grateful attitudes forward with them after November ends is no easy task.
It’s easy to get comfortable when things are going our way, and in those moments, we tend to forget to show gratitude by appreciating what we have and the important people around us.
However, that sunny season of life is not the time to leave our grateful heart behind; it’s the time to reflect and remind ourselves how blessed we truly are.
With that said, finding a way to be grateful during the difficult seasons of life is equally important!
Encourage children to go forward with a grateful attitude by utilizing a gratitude journal or adding gratitude activities to their routine multiple times throughout the coming year.
Journaling truly is the easiest place to start. Our gratitude writing prompts give kids something specific to write about at every age, and they now come with additional journaling pages!
Love these gratitude activities for kids? Check out these encouraging gratitude quotes to keep the momentum going!
Then, bookmark this post and share it with others today.
