20 fun but powerful ways to teach your daughters Gratitude

As we all know, November is a very special month dedicated to celebrating thanksgiving in this part of the world. So there’s no better time to remind ourselves and our daughters why we celebrate this occasion and teach them how to be grateful all year round and why gratitude is essential.

Gratitude is choosing to focus on the good in our lives and appreciating all we have but often take for granted, like the air we breathe, water, food, snacks, shelter, family, and all that God has given us.

Gratitude is an important virtue your daughters need to learn at a young age, but how exactly do you
teach it? Teaching gratitude does not have to be hard at all! Here are 20 super fun activities that
will teach your daughters to be thankful for everything in their life!

Let gratitude be your lifestyle.

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1. PRAYER

The most significant way to show gratitude to God for the gift of your life is by praying to him first thing when you wake up in the morning. God created the whole world, the universe, and everything in it. He decides who lives and who dies. If he has chosen you to see another day, he sure deserves your gratitude every day. So teach your daughters to show appreciation to God daily by talking to him first, thanking him for the gift of life.

2. DINNER GRATITUDE

Make it a tradition to go around the dinner table each night and share something you were
thankful for about the day. It can be big or small.
Not only will this help them find things to be grateful for, but it will also show them there is
always something good about their day, which in turn teaches them to be optimistic.
This gratitude tradition will also keep your family close as you talk and share about your days
while eating dinner together.

3. THANK YOU NOTES

Writing thank you notes is gradually waning, and it shouldn’t be. So first, teach your daughter to write thank-you notes from an early age. Then, they can paint and draw the cards themselves to build their creative side as well.
Writing thank you notes will teach gratitude and manners to your child as they learn they need
to share their appreciation with others.

4. GRAITUDE JAR

Find an empty jar and have your daughter decorate it however they please. Then, put notes of
things you were grateful for inside the jar every day. Then, when the jar is full, empty it and read through
everything you wrote! These are always fun to read.

5. GRATITUDE JOURNAL

A gratitude journal is a great way to teach your daughter about being thankful. Get them a journal, or
have them make their own. Then try to make it a habit to write in their journals every single day, which will create a pattern and help your daughter learn the importance of keeping a journal. The best way to encourage this if your daughters are just beginning is to block out time in your daily schedule when they can all go to their favorite place in the house for journaling. Check out our girly journal and teens journal.

6. GRATITUDE PUMPKIN

Instead of carving your pumpkin, write out all the things your entire family is grateful for on your pumpkin with colorful makers. Then, try to fill the pumpkin with your writing! You can start now and read it out on thanksgiving day or whenever you choose.

7. GRATITUDE WALK

I don’t know about you, but we love to take walks as a family. Why not tag this month’s walk gratitude walk? Many children have a lot of energy that they love to use, so go on a gratitude walk! It can be
a simple nature walk, but talk about things you see, hear, smell, and touch that you are grateful
for during your walk.

8. READ GRATITUDE BOOKS

There are so many excellent books that will teach your daughter about being thankful. Reading
books bring so many great benefits, and your child will love the chance to snuggle up and read
books with you!
Some of our favorites include:
● Gratitude is My Superpower
● Thankful
● Grunt the Grizzly Learns to Be Grateful
● My Attitude of Gratitude

9. GRATITUDE MOVIES

Just like you search for all the Christmas hallmark movies preceding Christmas and spooky movies for October (for those that celebrate Halloween), why not search for gratitude or thankfulness movies for your movie nights throughout November. We watched Annie again this last weekend. Annie is one very thankful girl whose thankful attitude spread to others and changed them for good. Also on our list for this month is;

• A Charlie Brown thanksgiving.

10. GRATITUDE CHAIN OR TREE

Gratitude chains or trees are fun and easy crafts to help your daughter share why they are grateful. For example, you can make a chain every day in November with something they are thankful for to hang around their room. Or, create a tree and add a leaf every day showing why they are grateful. With these, you can go as long as you want!

11. GRATITUDE COMPETITION

There are so many fun ways to have gratitude competitions. For example, you can see who can write down
the most things they are grateful for in one minute. Make it as short or as long as your child
needs.
You can also see how many you can name throughout your day. Make these competitions fun
and light, nothing too serious.

12. BEDTIME GRATITUDE

If you want to make gratitude a habit for your daughter, include it in your bedtime routine. Every
night before bed, have them share what they were grateful for that day. If they are too young to come up with anything, help them identify what they should be thankful for, and before you blink, they will have something to tell you each night.

13. RAINBOW DAYS GRATITUDE

Rainbow days gratitude is an idea that will hopefully stick with your daughter forever. Children need to know those bad
days will happen, but it doesn’t mean the entire day has to suck.
Have what is called a “rainbow kind of day.” Use this phrase when you have a bad day. First, talk
about your day and the struggles you went through. Then, tell your daughter about your rainbow.
Just like all storms, during the storm, everything is nasty. But in the end, there is always a
beautiful rainbow. It will help your child focus on the good and share their bad times with you. See what we’re thankful for years ago here.

14. GRATEFUL SENSES

Sensory play is always a great way to teach something! You can do this in so many different
ways.
You can create a sensory bin filled with things your daughter loves and have them explore and be
thankful for each item.
Or you can ask your daughter something they love for each of their senses:
● Something they love to taste
● Something they love to touch
● Something they love to smell
● A sound they love to hear
● Something they love to see
Then go around and get each item together. It will also show you what your daughters favorite things are
you may not have known before!

15. GRATITUDE BINGO

Gratitude Bingo is not a daily activity but rather a week or month-long event. Give your daughter a
bingo card with gratitude prompts inside each square. You can make your own or get one
online. Some square examples include:
● Tell someone why you are grateful for them
● Give a compliment to someone today
● Say please and thank you 10x today
● Write in your gratitude journal
When your daughter gets bingo, could you please give them a prize? Make the blackout prize super special to help
them learn how fun it is to be thankful for everything we have.

16. GRATITUDE DRAWING/PAINTING

While it may seem so simple, children love a chance to draw or paint freely. Don’t lead this
activity; let your daughter draw whatever comes to their mind. Process art is much more beneficial
than having your child copy a cute turkey you saw on Pinterest.
Be sure to hang up your child’s artwork and share how thankful you are for it!

17. GRATITUDE GAME

Children love scavenger hunts! You can make this as straightforward or as complex as your daughter needs.
Make hints about things you are grateful for to have them look for until they find the prize. Or, let
them make their scavenger hunt and give them prompts. For example, “Look for something
you are grateful to wear.”

18. GRATITUDE PHOTO CHALLENGE

For those girls who love to take pictures, have them go on a photo challenge! They can use
your phone or a kid’s camera. You can choose to give them a list of things to take pictures of or
let them find 20 things they are grateful for to take a picture of them.

19. GRATEFUL ATTITUDE/BEHAVIOUR

Throwing tantrums at the mall for that favorite toy or having a fit in the car because mom did not stop at their favorite eat-out does not depict a grateful attitude. Teach your daughters that to be contented with what they have shows gratitude. Mom, now is a good time for them to have gratitude points for grateful attitudes. Convert their points to whichever incentives you desire. For example, It may be earning extra 30 mins to watch tv.

20. GRATITUDE ACTION

We mentioned earlier about gratitude being appreciative of what you have but usually take for granted. Drive your daughters to a homeless shelter to see how some people do not have a place of their own to live or can choose to eat whatever they like. Take some needed gifts along like blankets and jackets. It is always a long-lasting lesson about gratitude, and they will never forget to show appreciation for what they have and remember to pray and help those in need.

These 20 gratitude activities will help your daughters learn this vital skill in a fun and powerful way! Learning
through play is more beneficial and lots more fun for kids of all ages! What other ways do you
like to teach your daughter about gratitude?