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Inside: Discover 3 simple and fun ways to teach kids about gratitude and practice gratitude as a family!
The best way to teach kids about gratitude is to practice gratitude as a family.
When kids see their parents being grateful and naming the things they are thankful for, they learn to notice all the positive things in their lives and show their gratitude as well!
Also, practicing gratitude as a family is an easy and meaningful way to bring more joy to your home! This is why today I want to share with your 3 easy and fun gratitude activities that you can easily try with your kids.
I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we did!
1. Create a family gratitude jar (or a gratitude box)
Creating a family gratitude jar is a lovely way to celebrate all the things your family is grateful for.
Supplies:
- a jar (or a small box)
- the printable cards (we also added colored paper cards).
How to:
- Print the label for the jar and the printable cards. (You can also create your own label and cards using colored paper if you don’t want to use the printables.)
- (optional) Invite the kids to decorate the jar.
- Set a time of the day for the whole family to spend a few minutes adding notes to the jar. (e.g., before dinner or at breakfast)
- Every day for 20 days (or any other time frame you choose), add notes to the jar every day.
⭐ The printable pack at the end of this article includes long cards for adults and big kids to use, plus rectangle cards for young kids to use (so they can draw inside or have more space to write).
The jar with all the notes will become a lovely family keepsake!
(If you don’t want to store the whole jar as a keepsake, you can just unfold all the notes, use a big paper clip to hold all the notes together, and store them without the jar.)
2. Create gratitude lists
Invite all family members to fill in a gratitude list, then take turns sharing what everyone wrote.
⭐ You can download a printable gratitude list at the end of this article.
The half-page lists are for adults and older kids. The whole page list is for young kids (they can use the rectangle spaces to draw their answers inside, or have more space to write).
3. Create an A to Z family gratitude list
This activity is similar to the previous one, but this time the whole family will create the list together.
Print the gratitude list in the printable pack at the end of this article. Then invite all family members to contribute with ideas and add 1-2 words on the list for each letter.
Display the list in your home for a while as a reminder of all the things your family is grateful for.
More gratitude activities to try with your kids
Here are 5 more ideas that are great for teaching kids about gratitude:
⭐ This kid-made thankful table spread from ArtBar is one of my favorite creative gratitude activities for kids.
⭐ Read books about gratitude and use story time as an opportunity to start meaningful conversations with your kids.
Here are 5 wonderful stories that inspire gratitude:
⭐ This garland of thanks from Mama Papa Bubba is a lovely activity that is suitable for many ages.
⭐ Start a gratitude journal with your kids. We use this 3-minute gratitude journal for kids.
⭐ This printable gratitude game is a wonderful way to connect as a family and teach kids about gratitude.
Download the printable gratitude activities
The printable pack includes the printable you’ll need for creating your gratitude jar, plus the gratitude lists to fill in with your family.
Click the link below to access the printable pack:
⭐ Download the printable gratitude activities
I hope you and your kids will enjoy them!
Want to remember these activities? Share them to your favorite Pinterest board!
“Roll the dice” gratitude game (a fun family activity for Thanksgiving)