Thankfulness Ideas for Little Learners

Thankfulness Ideas for Little Learners

Hey, y'all. We're gearing up for Thanksgiving and now is a fantastic time to start talking about gratitude and being thankful for what we have. Sometimes, that can be tricky or may seem forced, but these ideas just for little learners will get students excited about sharing their gratitude with others. 

1. Take note

Have students write a note to a friend or teacher thanking them for something they did or said. It doesn't have to be long or super detailed. A simple, "Thank you," goes a long way.

2. Take a hike

Or just a mindful walk. As you walk, think about what your are thankful for. The air? The blue sky? The shade from the trees? You could even try to think of something you are thankful for with each step. 

3. Be-"leaf" in gratitude

Make a thankfulness tree in your classroom and give your students some pre-cut paper leaves. Students write something they are thankful for on each leaf. Make a class goal to fill the tree with leaves before Thanksgiving break. 

4. Journal it

Last year, I order some tiny notebooks from Amazon and students wrote three things they are thankful for each day. The challenge was to write something different each day so they start thinking beyond, "mom, dad, and dog." Some of them were very heart-warming. 

5. Go on a thankfulness scavenger hunt

This could be an actual list of things you make together as a class family, or it could be a paper lunch sack that students fill with things that they are thankful for. I personally love the paper sack one because it gets families talking about what their values are and they talk about gratitude at home as well as at school. 

6. Get crafty

Sometimes a person's love language is gifts, so why not show gratitude to someone else with a hand-crafted picture, ornament, gift, or anything else students want to make. This is a great lesson to talk about symbolism as well. 

7. Read all about it

I LOVE reading aloud to my students and there are so many great books about thankfulness just for littles. If you need some ideas, check out this blog post with some of my favorites. 

8. Circle up

During morning or closing meeting, take a minute or two to go around the circle and let each student share something they are thankful for. It can be a quick check-in kind of thing or a positive endorphin booster first thing in the morning. My student love sharing during circle time and the things they come up with nearly always create a positive vibe. 

9. Inquire about it

Explore what all gratitude means with this gratitude inquiry unit. This free little resource will help your students define and understand thankfulness, explore different ways to show gratitude, and create visuals to help support their learning. 

I hope you found some ideas for your classroom this fall. And if you'd like to extend the kindness into the holiday season, check out this Twelve Days of Kindness Countdown freebie. Have a wonderful week and I'll talk to you soon. 

Stay cozy,