Developing a Thankful Heart

I'll be honest, my kids are not the most grateful people I know. Granted, they are 4 and 5, so they have quite a bit of learning to do. Still, lately, as I see how wasteful they can be, I feel burdened to somehow instill a better since of gratitude for what God has blessed us with.

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Col. 3:17, NKJV, bold emphasis mine)

Children aren't born with the ability to be thankful, it is something taught one way or another. If they are deprived of something and then receive it, they understand the appreciation of having something they didn't before--especially if it's something important like food, shelter, even love.

Outside of those more extreme circumstances, though. How do we teach our children to be grateful? How do we get them to see how fortunate they are and appreciate that? I don't pretend to have all the answers, in fact,  I'm just beginning to explore this more in depth as I realize just "telling" them isn't working. (Hey, I had to give it a try!)

Here on some ideas I'm working on, some in light of Thanksgiving being right around the corner:

1. Pray. It's amazing what God will help instill in our children when we ask. Pray together. Pray on your own for your children. Work WITH God and it'll be that much easier.

2. Show your kids the difference between what is necessary (food, water, shelter) and what is a privilege (video games, TV, toys). While I don't know that I would go so far as to show them pictures of starving children if they are as young as mine, you can brainstorm ways of showing this. Maybe have them choose a favorite toy to put in a box for a week.

3. Read stories about people who were without, Bible stories especially. Like when God took care of Hannah in the wilderness after she ran from Sarah. Or when David was on the run from Saul. There are many examples in the Bible.

4. Now, my kids are young, so having them help in soup kitchen or something like that makes me a little uncomfortable, but I think volunteering like that is a great opportunity for age-appropriate children. However, there are some other ways to encourage other people. Make Thanksgiving tins (similar to Christmas plates) filled with some yummy treats to drop off with friends and family.

Last week, my girls and I discussed gratitude and started our Thankful Tree. Each day, we write down on a construction paper leaf something we are thankful for (I do it, too!). Then we pray about it. This week we are going to continue the Thankful Tree, but we're discussing the wastefulness. One thing we'll be doing is going around the house to see what ways we can be less wasteful. I'm also thinking a game of store might help them understand that stuff costs money, and you can only spend what you have.

They may not get it right away, but I know I'm planting the seeds. Seeds take time to grow. Hopefully, I'll see the fruit soon. What about you? Any ideas?

Seeds of Wisdom --- Teaching About Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away; many homeschooling moms are beginning to teach about this national holiday.  Today, we share with you what Thanksgiving activities we are doing in our homeschools.

Aurie

We start lunch and dinner asking the girls what they are thankful for. This month I'll be recording their answers each time. In the past we've had a thanks jar {where we put slips of paper in} but this year we are going to have a thankful tree that the girls can actually put their "thanks" on.

Beth

We are still working on the basic stuff, the letter T, what turkeys are, and reading children's literature about Thanksgiving. We will learn the ASL signs for turkey, Happy Thanksgiving, thank you, and the sign for the letter t. This week the kids made turkeys creating the feather plumage with finger paint and thumprints.

Dorie

We are studying the history of the holiday with books and hands on activities. However, our main focus is on giving thanks to the Lord for all His blessings. In the past we have used a tree with each leaf naming a blessing. I loved the visual reminder of our abundance of blessings! This year we are using a Thanks jar, writing on slips of paper the names of our blessings.  



Jessica 
Our curriculum is focused on American history especially this year, and we started studying the pilgrims just two weeks ago. I also keep a system of books and magazines to lay out monthy, so November included all our Thanksgiving-themed bo...oks. Several of the children's individual reading assignments are Thanksgiving-focused books, as well. I did the same thing for Halloween, and will do so for Advent and Christmas.

Marla

We will be starting our Thanksgiving lessons next week.  Each day, we are going to read several books about Thanksgiving (fiction and non-fiction books).  We are making a Thankful tree; each day, we add one or two things that Abigail is thankful for and then we pray a prayer of thanks for those things.  We are also making turkey handprint thank-you cards and giving them to various people who have had an impact on the girls' lives.  Additionally, I downloaded Thanksgiving preschool packs from a few of my favorite bloggers, as well as activities from DLTK Kids and ABCTeach; we will be working through those.

Ralene

We're doing a Thankful tree (every morning we hang new leaves with stuff we're thankful for), and we're discussing thankfulness, wastefulness, and Thanksgiving traditions/history over the next three weeks.

Sam

We are studying Jamestown right now, and we also have picked up several books at the library. We will be sticking with our regular lessons, and reading the other books during our reading time outside of school.

How are you teaching about Thanksgiving in your homeschool?

"When You Thought I Wasn't Looking"

(Beth's attempt at a Toy Story cake)

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk, to, and I learned to trust God.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make a meal. And take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don’t.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I felt you kiss me goodnight and I felt loved and safe.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s alright to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, “Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.”

*When I found this poem, there was no author. It simply says, “by a Child.”