OPINION:
What’s something you’re thankful for today? God calls us to be a thankful people, full of gratitude. There are certainly plenty of things to be thankful for in our lives — even in times of hardship.
Do the kids in your life have thankful hearts? Teaching kids to cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving is a great lesson, not only for November but for all year, every year! Here are four ideas on how you can teach kids to notice God’s blessings and be on the lookout for things to be thankful for.
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1. Create a chart of things to be thankful for.
First, to help kids gamify gratitude, create a “thank you” chart for kids to track the things they’re thankful for. This chart can be drawn on a poster board or designed on a computer. Just add a column for each day of the week and enough rows for a length that best works for your schedule, then decorate it as you wish. Each day, help your kids write down at least three things to be thankful for in their chart.
Beyond helping kids notice things to be thankful for, making a chart like this also creates an opportunity to talk about being thankful for the ways God provides. You could ask your children to think about the way each of the things they are thankful for was given to them by God. Even the simplest conversations like “God gave us cows that make milk, He gave us chocolate, and He also gave someone the idea to put chocolate into milk, which is why we have chocolate milk” can help kids see how God is the one who provides good gifts. Conversations like these remind both the kids — and us — that we can tell God, “Thank you,” for even the simple joys in life, like chocolate milk.
When the chart is full, take time with them to look back and admire all the wonderful things to be thankful for that God provided. You can also keep the filled chart on a wall as a visual reminder to be thankful throughout your day as well.
2. “Crack the code” of things to be thankful for.
Do your kids enjoy mysteries and puzzles? Use this second idea to teach kids about thankfulness by playing “crack the code.” On a dry-erase board or piece of paper, write the first letter of each word to 1 Thessalonians 5:18. For example, instead of writing “give thanks in all circumstances…” you would write, “1 T 5 18 G T I A C.” You can vary the secret code depending on the age of your kids, while siblings or friends can race to see who can crack the code first. Give helpful hints as needed, leading them to look in the Bible for the answer. Once they’ve cracked the code, talk about what the verse means. Ask them, “How can you give thanks in all circumstances?” Then, challenge them to think about things to be thankful for and ways they can be thankful to God on good days, bad days, and the in-between days.
3. Play “I spy: Thankful Edition.”
When riding in the car or waiting somewhere with kids, use the time to encourage thankfulness and notice the things to be thankful for with kids by playing “I spy: Thankful Edition.” It’s a simple game that can be played with one or more kids. First, start by saying something like, “I spy something I’m thankful for that’s big and white.” Describe something everyone can clearly see and let kids take turns guessing. When they figure it out, tell them why you are thankful for it. For example, you can say, “I thank God for clouds because sometimes they have funny shapes that make me smile.” Be sure to give turns for the kids to “spy” things to be thankful for as well and have them share why they’re grateful to God for it.
4. Make a “thank you” card to God.
Lastly, help kids develop a thankful heart by having them design and write “thank you” cards to God. Encourage them to be creative and include multiple things to be thankful for. They can even use secret codes, draw pictures, or write a poem or song to God! The options are endless, though you may want to have several sample ideas to spark kids’ creativity and show them that you also have things to be thankful for to God as well.
After they’re finished, take time to pray and thank God together. Having kids pray out loud with you not only encourages them to give thanks, but also helps build openness to praying with others — a skill that will follow them throughout their lives. After you pray, remind them that God loves to hear our prayers and all the things we are thankful for year-round!
A thankful heart is a happy, God-honoring heart. May you and your children always find things to be thankful for through God’s many blessings. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Fred Pry is the Acting Vice President of Administration at Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), the most impactful child evangelism ministry in the world, reaching over 25 million children with its face-to-face ministry in 2023. Fred joined CEF in 2003 as director of a local chapter in Pennsylvania before being appointed state director of Virginia. Later, he was invited to lead USA Ministries, and since 2024 he has been serving in the role of Acting Vice President of Administration and providing further leadership to the organization as one of CEF’s executive staff.
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