How do teachers take on such a BIG task? Here are a few ideas that you can use to cultivate a grateful student in the classroom.
1. GRATITUDE CHAINS
After doing some research, it seems the simplest way to teach gratitude in the classroom is to have the students THINK about what they are grateful for. That’s it. One of the easiest ways I have found to incorporate this into the classroom is through gratitude chains. Each day the students come into the classroom and they write down ONE thing they are grateful for on a chain link. At the end of the day, I will staple them all together. This will be displayed all around the classroom for the month of November! It would also look cute draping down the hallway or on your bulletin board! This is a great visual on the many items we are thankful for.
Although this turkey is not a chain, it has the same idea. Instead of writing what you are grateful for on a link, during the month of November, you can incorporate it on a feather of a turkey! This Grateful Turkey Freebie is always a fun activity to do to get students thinking about what they are grateful for and makes a cute hallway display!
2. GRATITUDE JOURNALS
Sometimes I like my students to get a little more in-depth with their thoughts. The chains are great for a simple approach, but I incorporate these 22 journal prompts into bell work or our writing time. Prompts are great to show students that there is more in the world to be grateful for besides your family and toys! Have you looked outside lately? What about the talents you possess? These are all topics that children should explore either verbally or through a journal to help develop their sense of gratitude for themselves and the world around them!
3. THANK-YOU NOTES
Another great way to teach gratitude in the classroom is through thank-you notes. Thank-you notes allow the students to think about how an individual has positively affected their lives. It’s also a great way to show students that you can be thankful for ANYTHING big or small. Did someone help you on a problem? Did someone find something you lost? Did you have a presenter come to the school to teach something? Did your parents help you today? Challenge your students to find someone to write a thank-you note to daily.
4. VISUALS
One of the most powerful ways to show students how grateful they should be for what they have is through social media. There are so many images out there that show children in 3rd world countries that lack the basic necessities to survive. Find pictures to share. Discuss what the children are lacking? What do they need? Why don’t they have it? Then have students write an “I Am Grateful” prompt for their house, clothing, food (even the food they don’t like), etc… Children are unaware that many do without!
An example would be this picture from whiteclouds.com
