4 Easy, Fun Ways to Help Kids Give Thanks

Question: Are you the fun parent?

I am not.

I have known for awhile now that I am the creative-learning parent; the you-have-clean-underwear parent; the you-do-not-have-Ricketts-or-scurvy-because-you-eat-balanced-meals parent. But fun parent, I am not.

BUT. You can be the fun parent while still teaching your kids the good stuff–like how to be thankful for more than one out of 365 days a year. And November’s a great place to start.

Ready to help kids give thanks?

4 Easy, Fun Ways to Help Kids Give Thanks

Put a spin on “What Johnny Has in His Pockets.”

There’s a classic game you may have played: The first person in a group says, “Johnny has apples in his pockets.”

The person next to person #1 says, “Johnny has apples and bananas in his pockets.”

Person #3 says, “Johnny has apples, bananas, and cookies in his pockets.” Apples, bananas, cookies. Get it? It’s a memory game.

Help kids give thanks by trying a version of this at your table, maybe without the ABC’s (up to you). Go around your table or living room in a circle, seeing how many rounds you can play of this game–with each person remembering the sequence of each of the people before them were thankful for, then adding their own.

“We’re thankful for…our dog, running water, Mr. Jones at school, your friend Katie…and I’m thankful for our vacation this summer.”

Help kids give thanks by turning a favorite game into a gratitude game.

This takes a little creativity, but not much.

Say your family likes playing Jenga. When someone successfully pulls out a block from the tower, have them say something they’re thankful for as the put the block on top of the tower.

If you’re playing catch together, whenever someone catches the ball, have them say something they’re thankful for.

Or create your own version of Memory/Concentration using index cards, writing things your kids are thankful for.

Have a zero-prep Scavenger Hunt, Thankfulness Hide and Seek, and more.

 I helped FamilyLife.com develop this free download for families, The Gratitude Project–including a family paper chain (can you make a chain of thankfulness long enough to make it up the staircase?), a quick hands-on devotional for the whole family about complaining, and a scavenger hunt that you can totally do as the Fun Parent.

(Or if, like me, you could use some Fun Parent points.)

Make thank-you cards.

Yank out your markers and craft supplies, and have kids make a thank-you note–or as many as they’re excited about–for one person in their life. Bonus points if the person totally won’t be expecting it!

This is a great activity for the witching hour, i.e. when you’re making dinner and the kids are more squirrely than ever.

Kids can also send video thank-you cards via text or an app like Marco Polo.

Harvard Health reports,

Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, tested the impact of various positive psychology interventions on 411 people…

When their week’s assignment was to write and personally deliver a letter of gratitude to someone who had never been properly thanked for his or her kindness, participants immediately exhibited a huge increase in happiness scores. This impact was greater than that from any other intervention, with benefits lasting for a month. (emphasis added)

When we help kids give thanks, we set them up for a lifetime of connection with God–and, in the genius of his design, even set them up for happiness. Brain science is indicating gratitude actually rewires our brains toward willpower, long-term happiness, and calm.

So have some fun with your kids this month, you Fun Parent you, and maybe even cultivate long-term character and rewards.

Hungry for more ideas to help kids give thanks? Try these posts.

13 Kids’ Thanksgiving Activities (with Printables!)

Spiritual Life Skills for Kids: Gratitude (PRINTABLE THANK YOU NOTES!)

9 Simple, uber-practical ways to express gratitude this month