8 Brilliant Ways To Make Your Kids More Greatful

Creative Child has put together a fun list of gratitude activities for kids this Thanksgiving season.  I can't wait to try some of these with my kids!

1. Create a family gratitude book. Each family member should add photos, notes, drawings, and mementos – anything they feel grateful for. It’s a good idea to keep it visible and add to it regularly, like once a month at a family meeting.

Wouldn't this be a special keepsake for Grandma to have? Everyone's special thoughts could be combined into a nice book for her at Thanksgiving.

2. Keep a gratitude jar on the kitchen table. Let the kids decorate it with fall stickers or leaves. Each day, tell everyone to write down one thing they’re thankful for and put it in the jar.

Older children will have lots of fun thinking of different things to put in the jar each day.

3. Make a gratitude tree. Cut out leaves, have the kids write what they’re thankful for on them, and hang them on a branch.

I love this idea! A gratitude tree would make a lovely centerpiece on your Thanksgiving table this year.

4. Take a gratitude walk. Go on an evening stroll and look for things to be grateful for, like the beautiful leaves, the smell of rain, and the friendly neighbors.

This is right up my son's alley! We do this often and it's so much fun to see the things he's thankful for…. usually things I often take for granted.

5. Make a gratitude paper chain. Each day leading up to Thanksgiving, add one strip per family member to the chain. You should have a nice, long chain to decorate with on Thanksgiving Day.

We made these as children and hung them all over my grandmother's dining room. It's a cute element and a conversation piece. Everyone has fun reading the links on the paper chain.

6. Have the kids write letters of gratitude to community workers and hand-deliver them. Ideas are police, fire department, school, bank, and hospital.

This is another great idea for older children who might need to practice their penmanship anyway. Besides, heroes like these deserve all the thanks we can give them.

7. Buy a jar and dig a hole! It’s time to make a Thanksgiving time capsule.  Just write what everyone is thankful for on strips of paper, roll them up and place them in the jar. Bury it in the back yard. Dig it up next Thanksgiving and read what everyone was grateful for last year, and then add new ones to the jar and bury it again.'

What a fun and novel idea! Who else is thinking this would be a fun tradition to start this year?

8. Make a collage of things the children are thankful for. Look through magazines or pull up images online to print. Paste them together for a gratitude collage.

I love that children of all ages can participate in an activity like making a collage. It's also a great way to get rid of all those old magazines in the recycling bin.

Need more awesome ideas for activities to do with your kids this Thanksgiving season? Check out the rest of the gratitude activities at Creative Child.