Hope-Filled Homestead

Homesteading. Homeschooling. Homemaking.

in Arts + Crafts· Handicrafts

Gratitude Crafts + Activities Your Kids Will Love!

Thanksgiving is such a fun time for families. We try to embrace gratitude and thankfulness all year long, but Thanksgiving is a time when we’re really intentional about it. I’ve found a few gratitude crafts and activities that cultivate thankfulness and I can’t wait to share them with you!

Each month I plan out four crafts for you and your crew, and post them here to the blog. Each craft plan includes four crafts, a supply list and links to all the craft instructions. To start receiving your craft plan each month, sign up here!

Here are some previous craft plans:

March Craft Plan (Handicrafts)
April Craft Plan (Spring Crafts)
May Craft Plan (Gardening)
June Craft Plan (Camping)

How to Teach an Attitude of Gratitude

The month of November is a great time to talk about gratitude. Every year we create a list of what we are thankful for by making a thankful turkey (more on that below). It gives me a sneak peek into my children’s hearts. Toys and games are always on the list, but once I get them to think a little deeper, I love hearing what they come up with.

Helping Children Express Gratitude

The best way to help your children express their gratitude is to model it for them. Whenever we do a new activity like the ones you’ll see below, I demonstrate first so they understand how it works. It’s a simple and fun way to teach gratitude.

Modeling gratitude in our day to day lives is a great way to teach it. Here a few ways to integrate gratitude in your daily life:

  • Thanking your children for helping around the house or completing their daily tasks
  • Telling them how grateful you are for them
  • At meal time, talk about three things you are thankful for and ask your children if they would like to share too
  • Write thank you notes, and talk about why they are meaningful
  • Say “thank you” and teach your kids to do the same to the people you interact with daily (grocery store worker, friends, waiters/waitresses, etc.)

1. Thankful Turkey – Instructions

First up on our list of gratitude crafts is from Susie at Busy Toddler. She has some of my favorite crafts and activities for littles, but the thankful turkey craft is one that we do every single year! It’s such a fun way for the whole family to get involved. You simply create your turkey (we just use brown construction paper), make a bunch of feathers, and that’s it! Such a simple, yet meaningful activity for kids.

We like to just put this on our wall and use painters tape to attach everything. I put it where my kids can reach it and then they can add the feathers whenever they want! I find that giving my kids freedom in these types of activities works best for our family.

Materials Needed:

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here. 

2. Gratitude Nature Scavenger Hunt – Free Printable

I love this idea from All Natural Adventures! My kids go crazy over scavenger hunts, and this one looks like such a fun way to practice gratitude out in nature. This is great for kids of all ages and the month of November is the perfect time to be outside. You could also do this over the Thanksgiving holiday when you have family in town. The best part is all you need is this free printable and you’re good to go!

No materials needed! Go have fun!

3. Make Turkey Lollipops for Friends! – Instructions

This is such a fun idea for big and little kids to enjoy. A lollipop will for sure put a smile on anyone’s face, but adding a handwritten note will be so special. Giving gifts to friends helps them understand the concept of gratitude through giving, and it’s such a fun activity to do as well. After you make the lollipop covers, you can attach the printable tag, or just add your own note with folded paper. Ask your child why she is thankful for his/her friend, and have them write it down or help them write on the note if needed. What a fun and effective way to spread kindness and cultivate a thankful heart!

If you don’t have foam leaves or craft felt, you could use construction paper to attach feathers instead, similar to what we did for the thankful turkey.

Materials needed:

4. Woven Paper Placemats – Instructions

I love finding crafts that incorporate learning a skill as well. My girls have really been getting into weaving, sewing and embroidery. I think this is the perfect craft to introduce weaving! To build in practicing gratitude, you could use these placemats at meal time and have the kids set the table. Serving others is a great way to show you are thankful for them!

Materials needed:

Enjoy Making Memories (and gratitude crafts)!

I hope you enjoy these thankful crafts and activities! With the holiday season approaching, it’s such a great time to remind our kids (and ourselves) of what we have to be thankful for. You’ll have a very long list in no time. Happy crafting, friends!