Fostering Thankfulness

Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather, celebrating with thankful hearts. To grow an attitude of gratitude in your family, recognize both the large and small gifts in life. Set the stage for thankfulness by noticing the blessings.

Be intentional about how you’ll portray gratitude at the dinner table on Thanksgiving Day. Start your meal off by saying grace, thanking God for the food as well as the family members and friends gathered around. The Bible provides wonderful examples of why we say a blessing before we eat. In Matthew 14:19, Jesus fed a large crowd of hungry people. Before the meal was served, he gave thanks to God. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

Here are a few suggestions to make the Thanksgiving blessing special at your house.

• Hold hands at the table during grace.
• Start a dinner conversation around thankfulness by asking each guest what he/she is thankful for this past year.
• Say a traditional prayer in unison.
• Ask a child to say the blessing.
• Mix up the generations at the table; kids next to the grandparents, tweens and teens with the adults.

Here are a few former posts to help you and your family set the stage for gratefulness this Thanksgiving.

• Thankful Hearts Prepare What are the members of your family most grateful for? Use the download to record the blessings.
• Thankful Hearts Care Show your thankfulness by sharing with others. Operation Christmas Child is a great way for children to help less fortunate kids have a Christmas gift.
• Thankful Hearts Share Download scripture to share with your guests as napkin rings. Click here for Thanksgiving place cards your children can use to color and decorate the table.
• Thankful Hearts with Thanksgiving Fare The post includes a yummy and easy recipe for Orange Cranberry Sauce. I’m grateful each year because my kids make the cranberry sauce!

What are ways you foster grateful hearts in your children? [Tweet “Foster thankful hearts this Thanksgiving! #1C13P “]