Bringing Thanksgiving into our Homes

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (NIV):

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.



Tips to savor the season of gratitude:

• Read the Psalms
• Memorize scripture
• Write down a daily list of your thanks
• Give words of encouragement
• Pray continuously 

Online Resources:

• Ten Activities to Cultivate Gratitude in Children   
• 5 Simple Ways to Foster Gratitude in Kids  
• Cultivating Thankfulness in Preschoolers  
• 5 Kernels of Corn Activity 
• Ann Voskamp’s Thanksgiving Tree Activity & Free Printables  

Children Books: 

• Mary's First Thanksgiving: An Inspirational Story of Gratefulness by Kathy-Jo Wargin
• Give Thanks to the Lord: Celebrating Psalm 92 by Karma Wilson
• The Pumpkin Patch Parable: Special Edition by Liz Curtis Higgs 
• My Thanksgiving Prayer by Crystal Bowman

Resources Compiled by Allison Boatman.

Thank You

In case you are looking for a way to say "Thank you" to our troops this Veteran's Day or anytime, here are a couple of links.

www.anysoldier.com

We have "What to Send", "How to Send" and "FAQ" pages to help you properly send letters and packages, please read these. Be sure to also read our "New & Stuff" and "Success Stories" pages. This effort is 110% voluntary. You send your support, and maybe some stuff, directly to whatever unit or units you want.

www.amillionthanks.com

A Million Thanks is a year-round campaign to show our appreciation to our U.S. Military Men and Women, past and present for their sacrifices, dedication, and service to our country through our letters, emails, cards, and prayers.

A special thanks to Erin Wernlein for providing us with these helpful sites.

A month of Thankfulness

It seems like Thanksgiving is sometimes shadowed by Halloween and Christmas if not overlooked all together. However, here is a way to emphasize Thankfulness the entire month of November. In this month's Colorado Parent magazine, they suggested creating a wall of gratitude or if you are crafty, a turkey with "thankful" feathers.  Each day, each member of your household writes what they are thankful for on a sticky note or feather and then places it on the wall. On Thanksgiving day, all of the notes are read.

Here is a basic turkey coloring sheet that you can use for your Thankful Turkey.

Another option for those of us who facebook is to include something you are thankful for in your status each day.

Do you have something special that you do with your children that focuses on Thankfulness? If so, please share it with us.