Expressing Gratitude

November always brings out our thankful side.  We want to show those around us how much we care about and appreciate them.  We want to express how grateful we are for the things that bless our lives.  Children often find this exciting...especially when it's intertwined with fun and activities.  I've compiled 20 Gratitude Activities that can work at home and in the classroom.  Pick a few that will work for your family/classroom {or go for all 20} and help your children understand the importance of  and the happiness that comes from being grateful.

1.

Thankful ABCs

I did this activity last year in my classroom.  I wanted to help my students specifically identify things about school they are grateful for.  It was a little challenging but the outcome was something that brought a lot of happiness and appreciation for our school and classroom.  Below is the list we came up with and a link to a printable for you to use.  It could work for home as well, focus on things at home that start with each letter your family is grateful for.

Get your printable here.

2.

Gratitude Tree

Photo from Sweet Honey in 2nd

This is a fun fall decoration for the classroom and/or home.  Grab some brown butcher paper and make a tree...it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to resemble a tree.  Then cut out some leaves in the beautiful fall colors.  Spend some time writing things you're grateful for on the leaves.  You could fill them all in during one class/evening or leave some leaves to be filled in and put on the tree throughout the month.

3.

Send a Thank you Card

Take the time to have your child/students send a thank you card.  Ask them to think of someone they are grateful for and then have them write a short note of thanks.  Below are two different types:  a decorate your own card and a fall themed card.

4.

Gratitude Jar Writing

My sister-in-law and her family's gratitude jar set up.

This activity is one that is meant to take a longer period of time.  The idea is to collect thoughts of gratitude in a jar that will be shared together later on {maybe on Thanksgiving Day}.  Set up a little station that includes a pen/pencil, small pieces of paper/post it notes, and a jar to hold them.  Throughout the month, each family member can take a moment to stop and write down something he/she is grateful for.  I think it would be really fun when reading them all later to see if there were repeats by any family members!  This could work for the classroom as well!  Set up a similar station and encourage students to write down thoughts of gratitude when appropriate.

5.

Count Your Blessings

I found this gem on Pinterest.  It is a template to fill in different blessings you have in your life.  You could do this on a blank sheet of paper, but I LOVE that these ladies have given topics of gratitude {i.e. Ten things about today that I'm grateful for, Ten places on earth I'm grateful for, etc.}.  This would be really fun to do altogether as a family one night.  For school, I don't think some of the topics would be appropriate {Ten things about the gospel I'm grateful for} but there are TWO pages.  One of the pages has 5 topics that are all school appropriate.  Yay!

6.

Gratitude Collage

This is one of my favorite ideas!  Especially because it can be done so many different ways.  My first thought was of students using an iPad around the classroom/school/outside {with supervision} taking  photos of things they're grateful for and then making a digital collage to share with each other.  You could do the same thing at home with your own iPad and a collage making app.  I quickly made one with existing photos on my phone using the Project Life app.  You could do this with real photos/magazines/newspapers as well for a more hands on project.

7.

Gratitude Punch Out Game

I will let Britni explain how to make this game happen so you don't just read it twice.  This one will take some more time but it will definitely excite your children and/or students!

8.

Gratitude Themed Books

There are a lot of books that can help show the theme of gratitude to children of all ages.  Below are a few that I really enjoy and I would love to hear what books you use to teach this trait.

Grateful: A Song of Giving Thanks by John Bucchino

Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland

An Awesome Book of Thanks by Dallas Clayton

Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson

The Thankful Book by Todd Parr

Happiness Is... by Lisa Swerling

The Most Thankful Thing by Lisa McCourt

9.

Gratitude Spies

Children love to do things secretly.  This activity combines that love with looking for acts of gratitude they appreciate.  This is easy to be done in the classroom and at home.  Give your child/student a "Gratitude Spy" sheet and have them fill it in with acts of kindness they see other people doing.  For example, "I spied Dad fixing the family car."  I can just imagine my cute nieces and nephews sneaking around the house looking for things they appreciate.  The best part would be to share their spy reports with the family/class.  What a fun experience!

10.

Grateful for Myself

I found this activity here.  You can just go there, or read my shortened version.  The idea is to help children understand that they should be grateful for themselves and their personal worth.  You start by having them think about and share things they are grateful for.  After everyone has a turn, display a decorated shoe box {or any box that you can take the lid off}.  Tell them that inside is a wonderful gift we should all be grateful for and that it can't be bought in a store.  Invite each child to come look inside and see what it is.  If you are working with multiple children, make sure they know they shouldn't tell others what was inside.  Inside the box is a mirror.  When they look inside, they see themselves!  Take some time to discuss that each of us is something to be thankful for.

11.

Gratitude Charades and/or Pictionary

This one is pretty self explanatory.  Write down a bunch of things to be grateful for on slips of paper and then use them to guide a game of Charades or Pictionary.  I like this idea because with a fun game it can put the whole family/classroom in a grateful mindset.

12.

Gratitude Poems

This is a fun way to write out what you're grateful for.  You can use any form of poetry to do this!  It can be free verse, concrete, a haiku, limerick, acrostic, etc.  One template I came up with is:

Thank you _______________
Thank you _______________
Thank you _______________
Thank you _______________
I could think of more and more
So many things to be grateful for

This could be memorized and shared with the class and/or family.

Thank you kind and gentle breeze
Thank you silent falling leaves
Thank you love and laughter sweet
Thank you softly kicking feet
I could think of more and more
So many things to be grateful for

13.

Songs of Gratitude

Children love to sing...whether they admit it or not.  You could always make up songs, but here are a couple you could also use!

Attitude of Gratitude

A Song of Thanks

The Thank You Song

14.

Gratitude Turkey

This is a craft that can be done A LOT of different ways.  You can decide how much time and effort you want to put into it.  The basic idea is to make a turkey and on his feathers, write things you are grateful for.  I've seen it where children paint their palm and thumb brown and other fingers different colors, I've seen it drawn and colored on paper, I've seen it done with scrapbook papers, and more!  This would be a cute Thanksgiving decoration for the fridge or somewhere in the house.
Here's a really quick way to do the craft courtesy of Ms. Makinson.

15.

Gratitude Guessing Game

Another fun way to focus on things to be grateful for!  This game is played by each person in the family/class writing down something he/she is grateful for.  All of the papers are put into a bowl and mixed up.  Papers are handed back out to the group at random.  People share what is on their piece of paper and the group tries to guess who originally wrote it.  Coming up with something very specific could help this game be more exciting {i.e. "Orange seashell from Ruby"}.

16.

Runner of Thanks

Courtesy of Finding Home

Give guests the chance to write or draw pictures on the table the things they are grateful for.If your family is like ours, our sweet kids sit at a smaller table on Thanksgiving.  I think this idea is perfect for them but it could be used on a regular dining table as well.
You could use this for the classroom as well.  I would love to do this in the class!  I would set up the desks like one or two long tables {i.e. 2x7} and run butcher paper down the middle on the day before Thanksgiving break.  We could spend some time doing other gratitude games/activities and then have lunch together in the classroom or a small dessert.

17.

Gratitude Balloon Bounce

This is a fun game for children because what child doesn't love a balloon?!  Inflate a balloon and write 'Gratitude', 'Thankful', or 'Blessings' on it.  Instruct children that they need to keep it off the ground AND each time they hit it they have to say something they are grateful for.  If they drop it or can't think of something to say, they're out!  You could do this with prizes or the winner could keep the balloon.

  

18.

Gratitude Catch Phrase

You can watch the hilarious Jimmy Fallon play catchphrase here.

This is played just like catch phrase but the group comes up with the words to be used.  Here's how to play:
- Everyone gets 2 strips of paper
- Write one thing on each strip that you are thankful for
- Put all the strips into a bowl
- Split into teams or just go around the table
- Take turns pulling out one strip and describing what is on the paper without saying any of the words written on the paper
- A point is given to the team for each correct guess
-Use the actual catch phrase timer or your phone {1 minute per round}

19.

Gratitude Scattergories

Another fun version of a classic game.  Here's how you can play the game:
- Everyone gets a sheet of paper lists 1-10
- Use a Scattergories letters dice or have a younger player pick a letter for the round
- Set a timer for 90 seconds
- Write down 10 things you are thankful for that start with the letter selected
- After the time expires take turns naming your answers. Duplicate responses are removed fro the list
- Non-duplicate responses earn a point and the person with the most points wins
- Play as many rounds as your party would like

20.

Gratitude Scavenger Hunt 

What a cute FREE printable from Shari at Let's Get Together!  This a sweet and fun way to share what you're grateful for.  Shari suggests taking photos for each scavenger hunt item but you could bring the item back {if possible} or write it down if you can't take it.

Have fun doing some or all of these things to express gratitude!  I can't wait to do some of these with my family this beautiful month.

JNatalie

Natalie's Friday Favorites {10-31-14}

1.

C.R. Gibson Baby Books

I bought my sweet girl her baby book this past week.  Since I can only online shop I tend to do a little more research on everything.  I looked at many different baby books and found this company's to be ADORABLE!  Every one I looked at was sweet and detailed.  My favorite part is that it goes from birth to 5 years old.  The later years are much less detailed but there's a spot to talk about your child and his/her personality as he/she grows.  Check them out! {I bought mine at Babies R Us but you can get them from their own website or Amazon}

2.

Chicken Pot Pie

I found this recipe on beloved Pinterest and it became a hit when it came out of the oven.  I changed/would change a couple of things including: add about a cup of chopped potatoes, use less basil, and unless cooking for a lot of people, half the recipe!

3.

This video.

I think I love it because: A) I used to do these same workout videos, which were previously owned by my Mom.  B) The baby is ADORABLE!  

4.

This poem.

I recited part of this poem during my preschool graduation {who doesn't remember their preschool graduation?!}.  This is a fun poem to use in practicing memorization skills, plus it's a coloring page!  If you like it as much as I do, I found a picture book version {with a little different wording} at Walmart.  So cute!

5.

All things Halloween!

Halloween is my favorite holiday for so many reasons.  It's hard to be away from family today but I do have my sweetheart {who proposed to me 3 years ago today!}.  Below are some of the fun traditions that our families do to celebrate {some old some new}.  Take what you like!

-Watch Hocus Pocus

-Bob for apples and then make them into caramel apples

- Throw darts at halloween colored balloons {which are attached to a piece of foam core}

- Go on a mouse hunt {hide fake mice around the yard and/or house}

- Mummy wrap {use toilet paper to wrap up a partner to look like a mummy}

- Carve pumpkins

- Trick-or-treat or hand out candy

- Bean bag toss into a pumpkin {real or plastic}

- Halloween Bingo

- Costume Parade/Dance Off

- Eat Halloween themed food/treats {we made these this year}

- Cake Walk

- Snag A Monster {I got the idea here}
This one was new and I changed a couple of things from Kelli's.  We taped two smaller sheets of foam core together instead of using plywood.  Instead of using nails, we drilled small holes into the foam core and pushed dowels through to hold the monsters.  The kids loved it!

What do you do to celebrate Halloween? 

From Ron Swanson and his Bacon and Eggs...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

JNatalie

Disneyland Teacher Souvenir

I searched high and low on the internet for ideas of what to buy for our kiddo's teachers for souvenirs.  I couldn't find anything that would work for us.  I wanted ideas of what you could find inside Disneyland...nothing.

My original idea was to find a cute Minnie Mouse notepad and pair it with some candy and a cute pen.  I couldn't see any Minnie Mouse notepads that looked grown up enough online.  So I bought the cute pens I found at Target and left for Disneyland, hoping to find something to go with them.

Lucky me, on the last day, and in total desperation mode, I found these adorable Mickey Mouse silhouette Post-it style notepads.  SCORE!!

The bonus was that they came in a box of 4.  The exact number that I needed.  sigh...sometimes things really do work out.

I also bought these adorable (though slightly overpriced) Mickey suckers while in Disneyland.

Then I just packaged it all together with some chocolate candy bars, a seashell(since we also visited the beach), and the pens I already had. 

To assemble them, I used Washi Tape to adhere the sucker and pen to the candy bars and then tied the notepad onto the candy bars using thin colorful ribbon.

Our kiddo's teachers LOVED them and appreciated the fact that we had thought of them while on vacation! 

Pens = $2 for 4 pens
Notepads = $9.95 for 4 pads
Suckers = $6 for 5 suckers
Candy bars = $4 for 4 packages
Seashells = Free (since I already had a bunch)
Divided by 4 teachers
Total per souvenir =  $5.48

Not bad, in my book!

Plus, if you have more teachers and don't want to spend as much per teacher, you could forgo everything but the pen and note pad.  Just a thought.  :)

Valerie

Countdown to Disneyland {Days 25-32}

Day 25:  Make Mickey shaped cookies

We pulled out our cute cookie cutters we bought earlier in the month for the Mickey shaped brownies and made some Chocolate Chip Rolled Cookies.  This was a new recipe for me.  The dough was delicious, however, the baked cookies tasted a bit floury to me.  I may have added too much in the rolling process.  You can find the recipe here, and try it out for yourself!

Chocolate Chip Rolled Cookies
1 c unsalted butter
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/2 c light brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 c all purpose flour (start with 2 c and work your way up)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c semi sweet mini chocolate chips

Day 26:  Have Disney Dinner and a Movie {UP}

This was our menu.

The recipes we used:

Dug's Corndogs - I went easy and bought microwave corndogs from the freezer section of my grocery store.

Carl's Cheetos - My kids always like the Cheese puffs...you decide for yourself which you prefer.

Grape Soda -  I bought the store brand grape soda, since my husband and I don't really like grape soda.

Kevin's Chocolate S'mores - Remember how Kevin loves chocolate...well we used those chocolate bars in some microwave s'mores.  We used our micro s'mores maker.  

Here is how we decorated our table.

Day 27:  Tell Disney Jokes

I searched the internet up and down for clean Disney jokes.  Ones that didn't involve a meme.  Ones my kids would 'get'.  Just some good old fashioned jokes.  These are what I found.  I put them all on cards so you could take turns with your kids reading them.  My kids are still a bit young for some of these, but they laughed along just the same.

download here

download here

download here

Day 28:  Read Disney Books

We have lots of Disney books laying around the house that we could have read for this day, however, kids love new...it's evidenced in the basement full of old toys that no one will play with anymore.  haha.  just kidding...well maybe not.

So, I found some Disney books at my local dollar store for each of my kiddos.  We read them all together and then we pulled out some of those old books and they became new again.  :)

Day 29:  Buy a Disney Balloon

I took the kids to the local dollar store to each pick out a mylar Disney balloon.  They were very, very excited for this day!  My kids love balloons, and I think that most kids do love them.

In case you were wondering, Spiderman is now part of the Disney family.

 We had to have the Princess balloon for our princess.

Day 30:  Have Disney Dinner and a Movie {Ratatouille}

 Here was our menu.

The recipes we used were:

Linguini Alfredo -  I made linguini noodles with jarred alfredo sauce.

Remy's Garlic Toast -  I just bought garlic bread from my local bakery. 

Co'lettuce' Wedges -  This is a pretty simple recipe really...just buy a large head of iceberg lettuce, cut it into wedges and serve with whatever toppings you desire (i.e., tomatoes, avocado, bleu cheese, bacon bits, dressing, etc.).  I love a good lettuce wedge!

Gusteau's Chocolate Chip Cookies -  I made the most delicious pudding chocolate chip cookies.  I ate most of them, seeing as how we were leaving for 11 days soon.  I was under a lot of stress and took after those cookies.  :)

The recipe is from Six Sister's Stuff.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
3/4 c butter, softened
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 (3.4 oz) pkg instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine flour and baking soda and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream sugars, pudding mix,  and butter together.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Add flour mixture until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Roll into 1" balls (or use a cookie scoop like me) and place on greased baking sheet.  Bake 8-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Here is our decorated table.

Day 31:  Make Disney Characters out of Playdoh

My kids LOVE playdoh!!  I was planning on making homemade playdoh for this day, however, we were getting ready to leave the next day, so we used store-bought instead...much easier.  :)

My kids love the playdoh tools.  It has been a tradition for the last few years that the Easter bunny brings them playdoh and tools each year.  We have collected quite a few now.

Here is a Minnie Mouse head complete with bow.

My daugher created this version of Olaf.

My son depicted Mike Wazowski...no surprise there.

This was actually a good activity for the day before leaving because it kept my kids busy for 45 minutes while I packed and cleaned the house.  If you have time, this is a good one to include!

Day 32:  Leave for Disneyland!!!

We were so excited to be going to Disneyland for our kid's first time ever!  This was also going to be their first time ever on a plane...so I wanted it to be as successful as possible.

I packed each of them a backpack full of fun stuff to keep them busy.  This is what was included.  Only the backpack, blanket, and plush was more than $1.

For my son,
-his small Mickey plush
-blanket for sleeping/cuddling
-Dinosaur coloring booklet
-Bubblegum(this was a BIG hit with my kids)
-Disney board books
-Disney themed work books (one for numbers/counting and one for alphabet practice)
-Jake and the Neverland Pirates Play Pack (if you haven't seen these yet...CHECK THEM OUT!  My kids love them and they are only a dollar for a sheet of stickers, a small coloring book, and 4 crayons)
-Granola bars, dum dums, and fruit snacks
-A travel Guess Who game (which we got from Wendy's a while ago)
-Twist up crayons

For my daughter,
-her small Minnie plush
-blanket for cuddling/sleeping
-Doc McStuffins coloring booklet
-Bubblegum
-Disney board books
-Disney themed workbooks (one for phonics/reading and one for practicing alphabet handwriting)
-Sophia the First Play Pack
-Granola bars, dum dums, and fruit snacks
-A travel version of Pictureka (also from Wendy's)
-Twist up crayons

Here is a close up look at some of the items.  I got most of them from Target, Walmart, and our local dollar store.

I also got my kids some new pajamas from Disneystore.com for the night before we left.  My kids LOVE pajamas...just like me.  Plus, Disney pajamas are extra fun!  They slept in their new jammies the night before and packed them into their backpacks in the morning, so we would have them for our vacation as well.

 

Overall, the plane ride wasn't too bad.  We did learn a few things about traveling with 3 small children.  First off, since we couldn't all sit together, we needed to sit across the row from each other instead of in front of or behind each other.  Also, whoever had the baby needed to be alone with the baby and the other parent would sit with the other kids.  It's too hard to keep a baby on your lap and bend over in that confined space to get things in and out of backpacks for other kids.  :) 

 

My kids weren't bothered or frightened with the plane taking off or landing.  They just played on the ipad and used the items in their backpacks to keep them busy.