Hi Christian Friends & Homeschoolers,

Happy Thanksgiving! Let’s give thanks for our many blessings especially on Thanksgiving Day. How do we give thanks? One of the many ways is through our daily prayers. Another way is by thanking those around us. Thank you for reading this and sharing it with others.

Another good way to count our many blessings is through a gratitude journal. It is a great educational tool to include in your homeschooling curriculum. No matter how young or old your child is, this is a good writing assignment for your homeschooler.  It can be a once a year activity or a short daily activity. Make it fit your homeschooling needs.

Assign your child to write down what he or she is thankful for. An older child will have much more to write about. Give your child the option to draw and/or color a picture of something he is thankful for. You might want to assign an older child to create a circle graphic organizer to show the benefits of a gratitude journal.

Your child can choose from the following list of writing prompts in this sample gratitude journal below:

• Tell about a time you were grateful for something a friend did for you.
• Tell about a time you were grateful for playing with someone.
• Tell why you are grateful you went to church.
• Tell about a time that someone helped you solve a problem.
• Tell about a time that you were thankful you were able to help someone else.
• Tell about a time someone helped you find something that was lost.
• Tell about a time you had something to drink when you were very thirsty.
• Tell about something you have learned this week.
• Tell about how listening to music makes you feel.
• Tell about a family member you are grateful for.
• Tell about a pet you are grateful for.
• Tell about a toy you own that you like a lot.
• Tell about when you were able to watch a favorite movie.
• Tell how you are thankful you can walk and run.
• Tell how your family is special to you.
• What is your favorite subject in school or issue in the news? Why does it make you happy to talk about it?
• Choose three people to say thank you to today.
• Think of at least two positive things to say about a difficult person.
• What is one thing you are grateful for today?
• What is one food you are grateful for?
• Who is someone who lives far away that you are grateful for?
• Who is someone you have never met that you are grateful for?
• What is a sound you are grateful for?
• What is a smell that you are grateful for?
• What taste are you grateful for?
• What is beautiful or interesting to you that you are grateful for?
• Which season are you most grateful for and why?
• What animal(s) in nature are you most grateful for and why?
• Will you please write a thank-you card and give it to someone?

I’m thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ, family, friends, church, and country. Let’s be a role model to our families by telling them what we are thankful for too! Let’s practice being thankful each day! Gratitude makes us happier!