It never hurts to give kids extra time to discuss the things they are thankful for. Children need reminders (as well as adults)! Before I discuss our classroom activities, I'd like to discuss how you, as parents, can help your children become more thankful and appreciative.
The Art of Appreciation
Gratitude is one of the trickiest concepts to teach young children but one of the most important. Sure, thankful children are more polite and pleasant to be around, but there's more to it than that. By learning gratitude, they become sensitive to the feelings of others, developing empathy and other life skills along the way. Grateful kids look outside their one-person universe and understand that their parents and other people do things for them -- prepare dinner, dole out hugs, buy toys. On the flip side, kids who aren't taught to be grateful end up feeling entitled and perpetually disappointed.
Indeed, instilling grateful feelings now will benefit your child later in life. A 2003 study at the University of California at Davis showed that grateful people report higher levels of happiness and optimism -- along with lower levels of depression and stress. The catch? "No one is born grateful," says life coach Mary Jane Ryan, author of Attitudes of Gratitude (Conari, 1999). "Recognizing that someone has gone out of the way for you is not a natural behavior for children -- it's learned."
How to Teach It
Children model their parents in every way, so make sure you use "please" and "thank you" when you talk to them. ("Thanks for that hug -- it made me feel great!") Insist on their using the words, too. After all, good manners and gratitude overlap.
Work gratitude into your daily conversation. When you reinforce an idea frequently, it's more likely to stick. One way to turn up the gratitude in your house is to pick a "thanking" part of the day. This could be at dinner time, bedtime, or sometime in between.
Have kids help. It happens to all of us: You give your child a chore, but it's too agonizing watching him a) take forever to clear the table or b) make a huge mess mixing the pancake batter. The temptation is always to step in and do it yourself. But the more you do for them, the less they appreciate your efforts. By participating in simple household chores like feeding the dog or stacking dirty dishes on the counter, kids realize that all these things take effort.
Find a goodwill project. That doesn't mean you need to drag your child off to a soup kitchen every week. Instead, figure out some way he/she can actively participate in helping someone else, even if it's as simple as making cupcakes for a sick neighbor. "As you're stirring the batter or adding sprinkles," she says, "talk about how you're making them for a special person, and how happy the recipient will be."
Encourage generosity. Donate less used items to places that help those who are less fortunate, such as Goodwill, or participate in an Angel Tree for Christmas. Make sure you have conversations with your child about why you are donating clothes or buying gifts for others that you do not know.
Practice saying no. Of course kids ask for toys, video games, and candy -- sometimes on an hourly basis. It's difficult, if not impossible, to feel grateful when your every whim is granted. Saying no a lot makes saying yes that much sweeter.
Be patient. You can't expect gratitude to develop overnight -- it requires weeks, months, even years of reinforcement. But trust me, you will be rewarded.
The Art of Appreciation
Gratitude is one of the trickiest concepts to teach young children but one of the most important. Sure, thankful children are more polite and pleasant to be around, but there's more to it than that. By learning gratitude, they become sensitive to the feelings of others, developing empathy and other life skills along the way. Grateful kids look outside their one-person universe and understand that their parents and other people do things for them -- prepare dinner, dole out hugs, buy toys. On the flip side, kids who aren't taught to be grateful end up feeling entitled and perpetually disappointed.
Indeed, instilling grateful feelings now will benefit your child later in life. A 2003 study at the University of California at Davis showed that grateful people report higher levels of happiness and optimism -- along with lower levels of depression and stress. The catch? "No one is born grateful," says life coach Mary Jane Ryan, author of Attitudes of Gratitude (Conari, 1999). "Recognizing that someone has gone out of the way for you is not a natural behavior for children -- it's learned."
How to Teach It
Children model their parents in every way, so make sure you use "please" and "thank you" when you talk to them. ("Thanks for that hug -- it made me feel great!") Insist on their using the words, too. After all, good manners and gratitude overlap.
Work gratitude into your daily conversation. When you reinforce an idea frequently, it's more likely to stick. One way to turn up the gratitude in your house is to pick a "thanking" part of the day. This could be at dinner time, bedtime, or sometime in between.
Have kids help. It happens to all of us: You give your child a chore, but it's too agonizing watching him a) take forever to clear the table or b) make a huge mess mixing the pancake batter. The temptation is always to step in and do it yourself. But the more you do for them, the less they appreciate your efforts. By participating in simple household chores like feeding the dog or stacking dirty dishes on the counter, kids realize that all these things take effort.
Find a goodwill project. That doesn't mean you need to drag your child off to a soup kitchen every week. Instead, figure out some way he/she can actively participate in helping someone else, even if it's as simple as making cupcakes for a sick neighbor. "As you're stirring the batter or adding sprinkles," she says, "talk about how you're making them for a special person, and how happy the recipient will be."
Encourage generosity. Donate less used items to places that help those who are less fortunate, such as Goodwill, or participate in an Angel Tree for Christmas. Make sure you have conversations with your child about why you are donating clothes or buying gifts for others that you do not know.
Practice saying no. Of course kids ask for toys, video games, and candy -- sometimes on an hourly basis. It's difficult, if not impossible, to feel grateful when your every whim is granted. Saying no a lot makes saying yes that much sweeter.
Be patient. You can't expect gratitude to develop overnight -- it requires weeks, months, even years of reinforcement. But trust me, you will be rewarded.
Thanksgiving Lessons
Kindergarten: Students will listen to the story, "We Gather Together Now Please Get Lost", by Diane DeGroat. The book tells a story of Thanksgiving that younger kids ages 4-7 can easily relate to. Gilbert's class goes on a field trip to Pilgrim Town the day before Thanksgiving, but everything goes wrong. He wakes up late, misses breakfast, is late to school, gets stuck with the class tattle-tale and even gets locked in the public restroom when everyone deserts him except for his partner who he was attempting to desert.
The book contains several episodes of bad behavior, but that is shadowed by the excellent behavior and true thankfulness at the end. Young children will immediately know the difference between the good behavior and bad behavior and it makes for interesting discussion throughout the book.
After reading the book, students will each get a laminated card with either a picture (cut out from a magazine) or the word Thanksgiving. Students will take turns coming in front of the class to show their card. If the student has a picture, he/she will tell a reason why we should be thankful. If the student has a card with Thanksgiving, he/she will tell something he/she is thankful for.
Examples of pictures are: soap, toothpaste, cars, medicine, firefighters, doctors, shoes, clothing, cameras, shampoo, books, trees, clouds, friends.
First Grade:
I will read the story, "Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving". I love the sweetness of kids saving the turkeys from becoming the star attraction at the dinner table. There is actually a youtube video that is read with sounds! So much better than what I can do! So when I happened to misplace my book last week, I found this little gem to save me! After my class, a day or so later, I did find my book. But, I do like this better!
The book contains several episodes of bad behavior, but that is shadowed by the excellent behavior and true thankfulness at the end. Young children will immediately know the difference between the good behavior and bad behavior and it makes for interesting discussion throughout the book.
After reading the book, students will each get a laminated card with either a picture (cut out from a magazine) or the word Thanksgiving. Students will take turns coming in front of the class to show their card. If the student has a picture, he/she will tell a reason why we should be thankful. If the student has a card with Thanksgiving, he/she will tell something he/she is thankful for.
Examples of pictures are: soap, toothpaste, cars, medicine, firefighters, doctors, shoes, clothing, cameras, shampoo, books, trees, clouds, friends.
First Grade:
I will read the story, "Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving". I love the sweetness of kids saving the turkeys from becoming the star attraction at the dinner table. There is actually a youtube video that is read with sounds! So much better than what I can do! So when I happened to misplace my book last week, I found this little gem to save me! After my class, a day or so later, I did find my book. But, I do like this better!
After reading the book, students will make Thankful Turkeys. I love to see kiddos turkeys. I know moms and dads love to see kiddos turkeys too. I do try to encourage them to think outside of the box for things they are grateful they have or are thankful for. I always get a giggle from them when I mention that we should be thankful for underwear! LOL!
Second Grade: Students are asked to complete an "I am Thankful For" worksheet. Some of the questions from the worksheet:
" What is something you are thankful for that you cannot see?"
"What is something you are thankful for that you cannot touch?"
"What are you thankful for that is green? Yellow"
"What is something you are thankful for that is small?"
"What is something you are thankful for that tastes bad?
"What do you think your teacher is thankful for?"
"What do you think a teenager is thankful for?"
"What do you think an old person is thankful for?"
Depending on the time left, you can pick and choose what each child will answer out loud. I love hearing their responses. Some days you need a good laugh! It is also nice to see them come up with sincere answers. You may just be surprised at what they think of to write!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! May your holiday be filled with love, joy, and quality time with family! And, a stuffed belly, too!
" What is something you are thankful for that you cannot see?"
"What is something you are thankful for that you cannot touch?"
"What are you thankful for that is green? Yellow"
"What is something you are thankful for that is small?"
"What is something you are thankful for that tastes bad?
"What do you think your teacher is thankful for?"
"What do you think a teenager is thankful for?"
"What do you think an old person is thankful for?"
Depending on the time left, you can pick and choose what each child will answer out loud. I love hearing their responses. Some days you need a good laugh! It is also nice to see them come up with sincere answers. You may just be surprised at what they think of to write!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! May your holiday be filled with love, joy, and quality time with family! And, a stuffed belly, too!