Hello friends! It’s Veronica and I’m so happy to be back sharing, this time sharing a fun Family Night Activity on gratitude. I’m always looking for fun new ideas on how to strengthen my family.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we’ve been talking a lot about gratitude. It’s very hard sometimes when I realize my children are growing up in a world of “entitlement.” I think it’s easier than ever before to be ungrateful and to not recognize all the amazing things in our lives. So, I thought I’d take advantage of good ol’ Thanksgiving to teach my kids about having a grateful heart! Thank goodness for Thanksgiving.
On to our Family Night on Gratitude:
FAMILY NIGHT ON GRATITUDE LESSON: How to have a grateful heart!
**PREPARATION:
* Before Family Night begins, write each person in your family a ‘thank you’ note expressing gratitude for each one of them. Hang on to them…you’ll be giving them out soon. 🙂
OBJECT LESSON:
Hand each person a piece of candy and a small rock to put in their shoe. Ask them to walk around until you tell them to stop. (Yes…they can eat their candy.) 🙂 After a couple of minutes, have them sit down. Ask them to tell you about their “walk.” Typically, they will complain about how uncomfortable the rock was, but no one will talk about how great the candy was. Take a few minutes to explain that there are ALWAYS things to be grateful for, even when we are being challenged and facing hard things. Encourage them to be mindful of all the good things in their lives.
*Tell the story of the Ten Lepers. (I LOVE using this story when talking about gratitude!)
After the story, ask some questions…
How many of the ten came back to express gratitude?
Why do you think the others did not return?
How would you feel if you did something nice for ten people and only one said thank you?
*What does it mean to have a grateful heart? Why is it so important for us to be grateful?
*What are some ways we can show gratitude?
*How do we feel when we show gratitude? Is it possible to feel bad when expressing gratitude?
GAME:
ABC Gratitude Game: Have each member of the family take turns saying something they are grateful for. The first person has to say something that starts with the letter “A”. The next person, the letter “B”. Continue until you have reached the end of the alphabet.
ACTIVITY:
Hand each person the personal thank you notes that you wrote for them. After they read them, ask them how the notes made them feel. Have them each think of one person they are grateful for. Print these thank you cards out here and give one to each member of the family. Take a few minutes to write a thank you note to someone you are thankful for.
End the night with a reminder to show gratitude. We CANNOT feel bad inside when we are focusing on all the blessings that are ours. It’s not possible! That is one of my favorite things about showing gratitude. We instantly forget ourselves, we forget all the icky stuff going on in our lives, and happiness just trickles on in! Challenge your family to think of ten things they are grateful for each day for the following week. Maybe even take some time to share them with each other at dinner. A grateful heart is a happy heart!
TREAT for FAMILY NIGHT ON GRATITUDE:
How can you go wrong with these amazing cookies?! Again…super quick, really easy to make and ridiculously delicious! For an added bonus, take these goodies with some of the thank you notes and deliver them!
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies with Buttercream Frosting
HANDOUT for FAMILY NIGHT ON GRATITUDE:
I love reminders that I can hang around the house of the lesson that week. Because I think this week’s lesson is so important, I made more than one. I plan on changing them out every couple of days. Do whatever fits best for your family!
Download and print here.
Download and print here.
Download and print here.
Download and print here.
I hope this family night on gratitude is perfect for your family! Have a great month! See you in December!!
Need more ideas for Family Night?? Check out these posts: Overcoming Challenges, Teaching Kids Not to Gossip, Words Matter, Interviewing Grandparents, and many more under the Family Night Category!
* A great way to show your gratitude is to share with others. I love the collaboration Target and TOMS are doing together right now. For every pair of shoes you buy, they will give a meal, blanket, or shoes to charity! The TOMS shoes offered at Target are a limited edition line, designed just for them. Pretty cool!
* What a great way to build those gratitude muscles… this book is highly reviewed and a great exercise for anyone to do daily! I know I could use one of these by my bedside. Would make a great gift, one for every member of the family!
* I love the custom Thank You cards and notes from Tiny Prints! A set of these with the book shared above would be a super cute gift!
ThankfulThe Thankful Book
Being Thankful (Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter)
Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving
Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks
Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy
Good Days Start With Gratitude: A 52 Week Guide To Cultivate An Attitude Of Gratitude: Gratitude Jou
31 Days Of Gratitude: Create The Life You Desire
Gratitude Small Pewter Trinket Dish
Gratitude Journal for Kids: Girl Unicorn 90 Days Daily Writing Today I am grateful for… Children Happiness Notebook (Volume 5)
Decorative Pumpkin I Am Thankful For Chalkboard Sign Message Board with Jute Hanging String
Thankful Word Galvanized Metal Wall Decor
Alex and Ani Words are Powerful, Thankful Bangle Bracelet
Gratitude Jewelry Personalized Cuff Bracelets Engraved Bangle Gratitude Journal Gifts for Her
