Elementary kidminmama 8 years agoNovember 15, 20164642 views

Teaching Kids About Thankfulness

Happy Wednesday! Yesterday, I shared some fun Thanksgiving printables for preschool, so today I’m sharing some for grade school. If you’ve been enjoying the “Grow Series”, I’ll continue sharing those lessons in January. Next week, I’ll have a great Advent scripture countdown, but make sure to SUBSCRIBE so you don’t miss it! Anyway, check out these fun activities and all the printable resources will be at the bottom of this post.

Verses of Thanksgiving Cards

Each week in our Kids Church, we send home a verse card. I like sending these home for the parents to see and have a good starting point to ask what they learned and also to encourage kiddos to memorize scripture. I made the verse cards specifically to focus on Thanksgiving and giving thanks to God. (If you want the preschool version, go here.)

grade-school-verse-cards

I encourage you and your child to choose one a day, starting Sunday and leading up until Thanksgiving. Talk about the verse with them and make sure they understand it. They can use the Bible Study Guide to help them read the verse in context as well.

thanksgiving cards

Kids can also color the cards and even decorate with them if they’d like. The end goal is to encourage scripture memory and give thanks to God during this holiday season.

verse cards

Thankfulness Challenge

In addition to the verse cards, I wanted to encourage kids to be grateful for all they have. We live in a culture of entitlement and forget to thank God for all the things He has provided us. Help change that thought process with your children by using this Thankfulness Challenge with them over their break.

thankfulness-challenge

Family Discussion: Each day of Thanksgiving break, discuss as a family, one thing you are thankful for. Write them down in a prominent place in your home.
Thankful Habits: Have each family member thank the other family members for something specific they do or have done. Encourage your family to thank one another on daily basis.
Family Thank You Cards: Write thank you cards for immediate or extended family members about why you are thankful for them.
Mission Activity: Collect food for a local food pantry, blankets for a shelter, or find another way for your children to learn to love on their community.
Prayer Exercise: What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for the day before? How does that change how you pray?
Bible Readings: Choose a passage to read and discuss as a family: Luke 17:12-19 (the story of the ten lepers), Psalm 100:1-5, or Ephesians 1:15-19 (Paul thankful for his friends). Each one talks about a different way to give thanks and how thanksgiving to God is more than just once a year.

Print this list (at the bottom of this post) and stick it on your fridge. Encourage your children during their break to work on these challenges. I’m sure it will bring up some great conversations!