Thankfulness: A Mini Character Quality Unit Study

Are you looking for a few ways to teach your kids how to have (and what it means to have) a more thankful spirit?

These thankfulness activities and lessons in this mini Thankfulness Character Study will help you guide your children to having a grateful heart for their many blessings.

We often associate being “thankful” with the Autumn holiday, Thanksgiving, in Western cultures, but you can do this mini unit any time of the year to help you and your students to remember to be thankful for the many blessings that you have.

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Resources for your Thankful Character Study

Select a few of these books at your student’s reading level to read.

Thankful by Eileen Spinelli

A Very Thankful Prayer: A Fall Poem of Blessings and Gratitude (A Time to Pray) by Bonnie Rickner Jensen and the interactive board book version: A Very Thankful Prayer Seek and Find

Pumpkin Day at the Zoo by Susan Meissner

The Pumpkin Patch Parable: Special Edition by Liz Curtis Higgs

Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving: A Harvest Story from Colonial America of How One Native American’s Friendship Saved the Pilgrims by Eric Metaxas

Being Thankful (Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter) by Mercer Mayer

Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes

God Gave Us Thankful Hearts by Lisa Tawn Bergren

The Berenstain Bears Give Thanks by Jan Berenstain

Begin Your Thankfulness Study

Use the Thankfulness Character Study printables in the Free Resource Library to record your answers to these tasks and questions.

Look up thankful in the dictionary.

Learn this Bible Memory Verse: Ephesians 5:19-20

Discussion Questions for Your Thankfulness Study

Read Exodus 15:1-19

What had just happened (in Exodus 15) to cause the Israelites to sing a song of thanksgiving to God?

What things in your life are you thankful for?

Read on in Chapter 15. Were the Israelites always thankful, or did they complain at times?

Are there times when you complain about things instead of being thankful for what you have? What did you complain about? Looking back, does it still seem important?

What should you remember when you are feeling disgruntled or grumpy about what you don’t have and but wish you did?

Activities for Learning Thankfulness

Write down ten things for which you are thankful in a journal; look back on it when you are feeling down or add to it when you think of new things.

Have a “special plate” at dinner. Rotate nightly who gets the plate and everyone can say why they are thankful for that person. (We did this in my family for many years–it was just a different colored plate, but my kids really enjoyed being recognized for their part in the family).

For young children: have them trace their hand. Help them write 5 things (one on each finger) for which they are thankful. Then they can remember by looking at their fingers.

Write a song or poem expressing your gratitude for something you are thankful.

Thankfulness Character Extras

Teach children to be thankful with this thankfulness book preschool craft and book.

Check out these additional creative gratitude activities for kids.

Use this printable gratitude pumpkin to document what your kids are thankful for during this season of life.

Use this free printable gratitude journal printable to help your kids record their thoughts and thankfulness.

More Thankfulness Resources for your Homeschool

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