The spirit of gratitude is something most adults feel during the month of November, but is thankfulness a concept that our kids truly grasp? When I was a kid I knew the month of November meant three things 1.) I would get to play with all my cousins soon, 2.) I would be able to get away with eating eat an abundance of sugar, and 3.) Santa Clause was right around the corner.
It’s ok to admit that sometimes we need a reminder (or in this case a craft) to reflect on what we’re thankful for, so Wunderkindred has come up with an easy and creative way to do just that! It’s called a “gratitude jar.” In it’s simplest form, a gratitude jar is a vessel in which to store strips of paper where your kids can write what they’re thankful for each day. And if you have the time, a gratitude jar can be decorated by your little free-spirit(s) to reflect their individual personality and become something they’re excited to interact with every day. If you have kids, you probably already have an abundance of supplies to decorate with: glue, hard pasta, glitter, string, stickers, paint, leaves and flowers all work great!
After your littles are done decorating their gratitude jars, cut up strips of paper in which they can write one or more things they’re thankful for each day. We suggest picking a consistent time (maybe during breakfast or right before bed) where you can talk about what they wrote down. We also encourage mamas and papas to contribute to their own gratitude jar. This is such a great opportunity to encourage conversation about fortune in all its forms.
On a previously determined day take turns reading from the jars as reminder of what you’ve spent the last couple of days or even weeks speaking about. The holidays are a wonderful time of year for family and friends to gather and celebrate, but let’s not forget to instill in our kids a better understanding of what it means to be grateful.
For your convenience we’ve Included four different print-outs that you can wrap around your gratitude jar. We suggest using Mod Podge to adhere your print out to any hard surface!
CLICK YOUR FAVORITE GRAPHIC BELOW, DOWNLOAD AND PRINT!
If crafting isn’t your thing but you like the idea of encouraging gratitude in your littles, we suggest the “Five Minute Journal for Kids” to help instill gratitude, boost confidence, and increase mindfulness.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We hope you’re enjoying this wonderful day of thankfulness with your family.
Maggie is the editor of the Wunderkindred blog and proud member of the Wunderkin family. She resides in Denver but hails from the great state of Texas. In her free time Maggie loves watching sports, cooking, baking and DIY home improvement.
