Year-Round Gratitude Activity Ideas

Gratitude Means being thankful for the good things in life. Did you know that practicing gratitude regularly has a direct impact on mental wellbeing? Therapists often recommend it for both adults and kids! Thinking about what you’re grateful for helps you feel calmer and happier, optimistic, less worried, and kinder and more understanding towards others. This can help make friendships and family relationships stronger.

Remember the more specific the better, but there’s no wrong way to do it-it’s even called practice! As you practice gratitude with your kids, avoid correcting them, laughing at what they say, or giving them ideas they didn't ask for. If they get too silly or say hurtful or inappropriate things, just move on.

Here are some fun and easy ways to help kids understand the power of thankfulness, all while spending quality time together as a family! These fun, easy ideas will help teach them that gratitude isn’t just about saying "thank you," but about appreciating the little things that make life special.

Show Gratitude Yourself

The best way to teach gratitude is by showing it yourself! Children learn by watching the adults around them. If you say “thank you” often and show gratitude for big and small things, your child will too. Whether it’s saying "thank you" when someone holds the door or telling your child about the good things in your day, like something that went well or that brought you joy, kids notice and learn from your behavior.

You can show gratitude while also acknowledging, talking about, and not minimizing other things that might make you feel sad, stressed, frustrated, angry, upset, or any other uncomfortable emotion. It’s important for children to know that gratitude does not mean being happy and positive all the time. Instead, it is noticing the beautiful things and moments in each day even when things aren’t perfect. It is expressing appreciation for those things, moments, people, and places they’re grateful for, on good AND bad days.

Try this:

At the end of each day, share something you’re thankful for with your child and encourage them to do the same. It could be something big like a fun family outing or something small like enjoying a warm cup of coffee, the sunshine, or a moment that brought you joy or laughter.

Daily Mealtime Gratitude

Make mealtime a special time for talk about the things you’re grateful for as a family. Everyone can take turns sharing one thing they are grateful for that day. It’s a simple way to focus on the positive things in life and encourage your child to think about what makes them happy.

Try This:

During dinner, go around the table and ask everyone to share one thing they are thankful for that day. It could be a friend at school, a new game, or even the weather! This practice helps children pause and reflect on the good things, no matter how small.

Five-Finger Gratitude

This fun activity is perfect for younger kids! By using their hands, children can quickly learn to focus on five things they’re thankful for. It’s a great way to make gratitude easy and fun.

Activity Idea:

Ask your child to hold up one hand, and then for each finger, they name something they’re thankful for. It could be things like their favorite toy, snuggling with a pet, an activity with a family member, or even the shape of a cloud they saw! This activity helps kids think beyond just one thing they’re thankful for and can turn into a fun daily ritual. Do this practice together, modeling it by doing the practice yourself along with them. Building it into your routine will help you stick to it. Consider doing it as a transition home activity after school or work/daycare, during dinner, at bathtime, or as part of bedtime.

Make a Gratitude Tree

A gratitude tree is a creative and hands-on way for kids to express thankfulness. It’s also a great decoration to hang up in your home! Each leaf represents something a family member is thankful for, and over time, the tree becomes filled with positive thoughts.

Activity Idea:

Draw a tree with branches on a large piece of paper or cardboard. Cut out paper leaves, and each day, write or draw something you are grateful for and stick it to the tree. Watch your tree grow with gratitude. full of all the good things in your life.

**Alternatively, your family gratitude tree can be created in other ways or using different materials, such as putting sticks or notes in a jar and hanging the paper leaves onto the “tree branches.” Decide what works best and is easiest for your family.

Children’s Books About Gratitude

Books are a wonderful way to teach kids important values, and there are many great children’s books about why being grateful is important. Books can make the lesson fun and memorable. While books can be purchased or checked out from a local library near you, there are also read-alouds available on YouTube.

Try this:

Pick a book about gratitude and read it with your child. After the story, ask them to share what they are thankful for, just like the characters in the book.

Some children’s picture books on gratitude and links to read-aloud videos are below. These stories help children understand why being thankful is important and how it can make us feel happy.

• The Thankful Book by Todd Parr (Read-Aloud)
• Gratitude Is My Superpower by Alicia Ortego (Read-Aloud)
• Happy Right Now by Julie Berry (Read-Aloud)
• A Little Thankful Spot by Diane Alber (Read-Aloud)
• A Thank You Walk: A Story About Gratitude by Nancy Loewen (Read-Aloud)
• Ten Beautiful Things by Molly Beth Griffin (Read-Aloud)
• The Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera (Read-Aloud)
• Ten Thank-You Letters by Daniel Kirk (Read-Aloud)

Make Thank You Cards

Making thank you cards is a great way for kids to practice gratitude and brighten someone else's day. A handmade thank you card is a wonderful way to express feelings of thanks and different than just saying “Thank you”.

Try This:

Help your child create a thank you card for someone, like a teacher, a friend, or a family member. They can decorate the card with drawings or stickers, and write a simple note like, “Thank you for being my friend.” This shows them how to express their gratitude with words and gives them a chance to practice kindness by letting someone know how much they appreciate them.

Gratitude Through Music: Listen, Dance, and Sing!

Music can be a fun way to teach kids about gratitude. Listening, dancing, and singing along to these songs together can bring lots of joy and help children understand the power of gratitude.

Try This:

Play a song about gratitude and dance and/or sing with your child. You can even make up dance moves together to go with the song. Have fun! Here are some to get you started:

• I Am Thankful - Kunda & Friends (Link)
• Thankful for Friends Song - Sesame Street with Leon Bridges (Link)
• Gratitude Song - Netflix Jr. Jams (Link)
• I’m Thankful - Super Simple Songs (Link)
• Thank You, Thank You! - WonderQuest Kids (Link)

Teaching gratitude doesn’t have to be hard! With these fun activities, your child will learn to appreciate the little things in life while spending quality time with family. Gratitude can make everyone’s day a little brighter!