Nurturing Gratefulness

Last November we embarked on a “30 Days of Thanks” adventure with two-year-old Esmé – a 30-day calendar of “thankful” activities. We visited the local fire station, attended the Veteran’s Day parade, went to an African Children’s Choir concert, read thanksgiving books, and did seasonal crafts.

Though I burned out halfway through the month, one thing I loved was our gratitude journal. Each evening I’d get out the journal and jot down the things she was thankful for. I loved her lists: superglue, piggy banks, hide & seek, Strawberry Shortcake, band aids, billy goats, scissors… Then she’d turn around and quiz me, making scribbles in her journal to represent what I was thankful for.

This year, I wanted to commit to something simpler that would still get us focused on thinking about our blessings. So Esmé and I came up with the Thankful Tree.

First, I traced Esmé on butcher paper – an idea she comes up with every time she sees me get the butcher paper out. I had her spread her feet out like the base of a trunk and made branches out of her arms. Then I cut out the tree-shaped outline.

While I found a raccoon photo online, Esmé drew a raccoon hole in the trunk of the tree. She pasted the raccoon into her hole.

Now the thankful fun begins! We’ve put the tree up on her bedroom door, and we’ll be taping “thankful” leaves on the tree throughout the month.

There are all kinds of ways to inspire your preschooler to think of things he or she is thankful for. Here are a few ideas:

· Gratitude alphabet – with one item for each letter of the alphabet

· Gratitude journal, picked out or decorated by your child and updated every day or so

· Thankful collage or banner, made with magazine photos and stickers

· Cards made for people your child is thankful for

· Gratitude garland – a paper chain or leaf garland that grows as the thanks are added each day

· Thanksgiving tree (or wreath), either paper as we’ve done, or a “Christmas” tree decorated with gift tags

· Thankful turkey or peacock – with the gratitude items written on feather shapes

It’s never too early to cultivate an attitude of gratitude!