Ask students to list all of the things they are thankful for with this free, cute, and simple printable. In the past couple of decades, hundreds of studies have documented the social, physical, and psychological benefits of gratitude. Aug 10, 2022 Education , Teachers , Mindfulness in Schools , Relationship Building , Students , Exercises , Mindfulness For Students , Mindfulness Teacher Training , Calm For Teachers Research shows that practicing gratitude is a powerful practice for mental health at every age. Just keep in mind, journaling tends to be more powerful when students don't feel like their teacher is going to read what they wrote. Jeanne Croteau is a Contributor at WeAreTeachers. I love to recognize students for their effort and dedication to their learning and growth. This is the perfect activity for children of all ages since you can cater the conversation starters to the age of the students. Students define gratitude and the many forms it takes. Students arent showing kindness to others. The students in your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th grade classroom would benefit from gratitude lessons and activities if any of these statements are true: Below are 4 reasons to promote gratitude in your elementary classroom. When leading students in a specific mindfulness practice, choose a place for them to "anchor" their attention like the sound of a chime, or the feel of the air entering their nostrils as they breathe. The others quickly notice and fall in line. These adorable coloring pages are free to download and print. 29 Mar 2023 13 Most Popular Gratitude Exercises & Activities 28 Apr 2017 by Mike Oppland, BA, MBA Scientifically reviewed by Christina R. Wilson, Ph.D. We usually show our gratitude to others when we feel indebted to them, when we have benefitted from their actions, and when we want to make our feelings towards them known. This provides them with the basis to manage their emotional and physical health. Then, have them write it on a piece of paper or index card to hang on the wall. We love this fun, collaborative craft since supplies are minimal but the effect is big! A look back on the week and a thorough weekly gratitude journal would encourage older students to reflect and be thankful. What a gift it is to be their teacher! Youll find videos for all age groups! When learning any skill, students need time to practice. Create gratitude placemats. Recommended Read Alouds for Teaching Gratitude Share this with your family, your friends, your loved ones, your co-workers or someone who you think could benefit from this. They could also be grateful for something about their personality, like the fact that they never give up. Ask: What have you learned about gratitude from this activity? Explicitly demonstrate and model gratitude during Community Circle. They are using statements like I wish I had that or your toy is so much cooler than mine. Finally, check out Gratefulness.org for extra gratitude resources. But honing an effective gratitude practice is about more than simply giving thanks when somebody does something nice for you. Though even toddlers can be taught to say thank you, children seem to first experience and express true gratitude at around 6-8 years old, when they are more capable of taking another persons perspective and have a greater understanding of anothers emotions. 29 Gratitude Activities for Kids Keeping a gratitude journal on a daily basis helps students achieve higher grades; higher goals; more satisfaction with relationships, life, and school; less materialism; and more willingness to give back. If you love rustic decor, this is the gratitude project for you and your students. Students love being called leaders. Bring to mind an image of the person you have researched. 3. Its up to us to showcase, cultivate, and appreciate them. You might start your gratitude journal with being thankful for being alive, for having food to eat and clothes . Create a book as a class and have your children write down what theyre grateful for on a particular day. Teaching kids about gratitude is an important job, and a crucial part is helping children understand that gratitude is more than just saying "thank you." Showing a child gratitude in practice can be a powerful way to reinforce the definition. According to various studies curated byHealthline, a regular gratitude practice can: Educating your students about the physical andemotional benefits of gratitudecould help lay the groundwork for your other lessons and activities. Our gratitude can extend to these people, as well as those we know. With appreciation, Alex Thank you for making a difference To the Best Teacher Ever! Students practice turning complaints into gratitude statements. Wondering how to teach gratitude to students? It is a part of how I think, feel, see, and experience the world. All Rights Reserved. #1. Susan explores how one of the best ways to feel better and become happier is to do something for someone else. They dont need to write it down but can think about it instead. Keep a Joy Journal. We also love the nostalgia of making paper chains leading up to holidays. Students share stories about a time they felt grateful. At our morning meetings, we usually focus on a character trait of the month and gratefulness is one of the character traits we discuss. Reading short picture books about gratefulness and then talking about them as a class can be a powerful way to raise awareness of how much we have. Check out three great gratitude videos for students below! Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. It helps them stay away from jealousy and show the people that they care about that they love them and are thankful for them. 22 Gratitude Videos To Inspire Kids of All Ages Woven together, SEL and mindfulness make a powerful recipe for helping students cultivate positive outcomes, such as increased academic achievement and well-being, less risky behavior, and better relationships with peers and teachers. Greater Good in Education. This should expand past you, their teacher. Gratitude is an important quality to instill in students to create a culture of kindness in the classroom, the community, and beyond. Make learning fun with a Gratitude Scavenger Hunt! Check out this list of picture books for teaching gratitude! If you found this video beneficial, would you do me a favor? Her mom was in nursing school and very stressed. Beyond politeness, though, many don't realize just how important gratitude is for our well-being. Lessons in gratitude help students develop social awareness, a key component of social and emotional learning. This can be a powerful starting point for teaching students about gratitude in your classroom. Learn more: All Natural Adventures 2. I have compiled a diverse collection of picture books that perfectly support teaching upper elementary students about gratitude and gives voice to a variety of races, cultures, ethnicities, experiences, and backgrounds. To help your kids learn to practice being thankful, books for kids on gratitude can be a great resource. You are appreciated! Thank you for being such a one-of-a-kind teacher!! They could be grateful for their sense of hearing for allowing them to enjoy music. Researchers usually define it as a feeling or state that results from both (1) recognizing a good thing, such as a positive outcome or gift we've received, and (2) recognizing that this good thing came from outside ourselves. List the different fruits that are mentioned on the board. As part of the activity, try talking to each student individually about their gifts. This one will prove challenging since students will be tasked to come up with some unconventional words to express their gratitude. If that person showed gratitude, how did it make you feel? As a result, he passed his finals with flying colors! The Research Is In In fact, when they notice others demonstrating leadership skills, they now will say to each other, Thank you for being a leader! It brightens the room and brings a smile to faces every time. This can help build stronger connections with others. Ask class to think of how many different kinds of fruit they can name. Bren Brown and other experts share insights on how parents and teachers can foster childrens creativity while nourishing their own. Im Jodi. From educating students on the physical health benefits of gratitude to offering reminders about how being thankful isn't just a one-way street, there are many activities that demonstrate the power of showing appreciation in the classroom. These lessons can have an even greater impact during hard times when things seem bleak. Jeffrey J. Froh, William J. Sefick, Robert A. Emmons. We are grateful to Linda Lantieri, founder of the IRP, for letting us share three of these new lessons, all of which beautifully incorporate a contemplative moment where students can link the idea of gratitude with the feeling of gratitude. PreK/Lower Elementary. Jodi Durgin | Clutter-Free Classroom, LLC Website by KristenDoyle.co, The Animals Santa Activities and Lesson Plans for 2023, The Crayons Christmas Activities and Lesson Plans for 2023. they need to make teaching easier and more enjoyable. 3. Lets recap really quickly. Gratitude seems to work like a muscle, and the physical actof writing a gratitude list helps develop gratitude muscles. 22 Gratitude Videos To Inspire Kids of All Ages Ready to cultivate a more thankful classroom? For example, instead of writing, Thank you for lunch, I would write, Thank you for the tomatoes and lettuce in my salad and for the cool, sweet iced tea with friends, or Thank you for the nutritious lunch made by loving hands.. How to Foster Gratitude in Schools - Greater Good Children of all ages often express themselves best through art. What was the cost of these actions for the person you reached? Students take a mindful walk in nature, noting what they are grateful for, and create a collaborative art piece of their experience. This might just be the prettiest gratitude project on this list. I am always encouraged and pleasantly surprised by what my students share. For this developmental group, you can try to focus on helping them foster a sense of gratitude on a more daily basis, not only when they receive gifts. Students will then trace their hands, cut out their "turkey," and . These tools, which aim to "make kindness the norm," are an amazing addition to your gratitude lesson plans or culture-building initiatives at school. AndProfessor Philip Watkins of Eastern Washington University saysthat those who are the least grateful seem to gain the most from making this effort. Below are 3 quality videos for teaching your elementary students about gratitude. Student Engagement; Teacher Wellness; Topics A-Z; Grade Levels. Here are some easy-to-implement activities, many of which can be adapted to fit any grade level. PDF Thanks! A Strengths-Based Gratitude Curriculum for Tweens and Teens Through stories, discussion, and creative presentations about true heroes, students foster their compassion for others and see brave community involvement as an admirable, heroic way of life. Thats good news to those us who may find it hard to start a gratitude list. I truly believe all students have leadership qualities. Edutopia Ask students to draw a picture of what they visualized, and write a caption for it. What a gift it is to have students who love to work hard! Gratitude has empowered me to teach more effectively, appreciate my individual students, grow in my profession, and enjoy life. Gratitude activities can help build community, foster relationships and nurture love. Your students, whether subconsciously or consciously, are always looking to see how you're walking the walkand being grateful is no different. Gracias/Thanks is a bilingual book for elementary students, written from the perspective of a young . What makes you happy? Have you ever wondered why? Teachers can also foster gratitude by reminding students that when others help us, they are providing us with "gifts.". As I was trying to come up with the way I wanted to teach gratitude to my elementary school students, I was struggling to create gratitude activities that would solidify their understanding of what it truly means to be thankful. SEL competencies: Self-awareness, social awareness, and relationship skills Science shows us both gratitude and journaling are potent antidotes to mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Our gratitude SEL unit includes ten vocabulary cards with words related to the SEL topic. Today, we looked at the following: In the mean time, if planning so that youre ahead is not your jam, then check out the following: FREE MASTERCLASS: Systematic Plan to Super Passionate. Community Circle time gives me a phenomenal opportunity to regularly share my appreciation for how much I love being their teacher, how thankful I am for who they are, and how grateful I am for the fun and joy we have together each day. Join the 75,000+ elementary teachers who receive free resources from us each week. Students draw and write about ways they have acted with kindness towards others. As students complete their drawings, point out that there are many people involved in making it possible for them to enjoy strawberries. Guide your students in a gratitude art project, such as a painting or a diorama. This can be a powerful starting point for teaching students about gratitude in your classroom. For gratitude lessons to be successful with your students, they need to be engaging, relevant, and developmentally appropriate. and can opt-out at any time. This helps build a positive culture in our classroom. The practice of gratitude is an important part of building resilience, increasing mindfulness and helping to develop a growth mindset. Gratitude Activities That Are Easy to Prepare - Teach To Love Learning If I focus on the good and I am grateful, more comes into my life. Share gratitude in feedback. This appreciation goes a long way in nurturing their well-being and hard work ethic for future learning. We need to see their potential first, believe in them, nurture their potential, explicitly teach leadership skills, and provide opportunities for them to showcase these skills. The playground includes . Invite them to include everything they feel grateful for. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(9002597, 'ed61a91b-83e0-4277-97c5-fd1b21c83809', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Our mission is to empower students and educators to cultivate peaceful, engaged school communities through the regular practice of trauma-informed mindfulness techniques that support mental and emotional wellbeing. WOODFIN, N.C. (WLOS) Students at Woodfin Elementary School have a new playground thanks to a community effort. Teaching and Modeling Gratitude in Elementary School Show kids that weve got a lot to be thankful for with this song! This may be done over multiple days. Until I see you next time, remember to create, experience & teach from the heart. People who have gratitude appreciate what they have and think deeply about what they can do for others. You may want to set a minimum word count to encourage them to think and dig deeper. Every interaction with students is an opportunity to intentionally uplift them through our kindness, gratitude, and empathy. If you search for a list of leadership skills, children already have many of these. Students draw and write about ways they have acted with kindness towards others. These activities help children focus on what gratitude is, how to express it, and how to use it. Gratitude skills prepare kids to show appreciation for what they have and show thanks. Further Reading:5 Tricks to Save a Derailed Lesson Plan. A first grade teacher, a best friend, a parenthigh schoolers share their gratitude letters with their recipients. Gratitude concept: When we choose to do something that benefits others, we often benefit ourselves emotionally. Lets talk about what it means to be thankful, so more happiness can find its way into our lives! Think about how warm your heart feels to express and receive appreciation. The Gratitude Game Students explore ways to overcome what keeps us from expressing our thanks. Lead your middle or high school students in a gratitude exercise thats directed toward themselves. Taste and smell, on the other hand, might require some critical-thinking skills. For many students (and adults), saying "thank you" has always been something we were told to do. In a busy world, where we take so many things for granted, it gives our children a moment to pause, breathe and notice the beauty that surrounds them. Students define gratitude and name things theyre grateful for. From gratitude stones to handwritten letters. Gratitude is a skill that can improve our health and well-being. Social emotional learning skills are no different! Have students use a variety of materials to personalize their jars, then have them write something they are grateful for each day and put it inside their jar. Over the course of their lives, our students will face many hardships, and one of the best things we can do is help them learn the skills they need to be more resilient. Use this video in your classroom to start a discussion about gratitude as a learning strategy and cultivate a growth mindset. Students learn how kindness and gratitude strengthen friendships through Splat the Cat. Older kids may be able to express their feelings of gratitude in a scrapbook of letters. Life can be tough. Calm Classrooms school-based mindfulness curriculum includes plenty of gratitude exercises for every grade. Read Mentor Texts about Gratefulness. 4 November is a good time for teaching gratitude in the classroom after all, Thanksgiving is supposed to be all about being thankful for the things we have. Have students grow a garden of positivity and thankfulness with these beautiful gratitude flowers. As they make note of different things in nature, ask them to say a quiet thank you. Practicing gratitude teaches students about having empathy for themselves and others, which allows them to develop strong relationships and effectively manage setbacks and challenges. She said it helped her get through nursing school. Before they put things away, they are always encouraged to thank classmates they spent time with. What does gratitude look like in high school? As a class, decide on a school staff member you want to thank. Ask students to identify a historical figure who did something they feel grateful for. For more information about The Inner Resilience Program and their gratitude curriculum, click here. Your email address will not be published. Does being grateful really help your well-being? those who are the least grateful seem to gain the most from making this effort, Counting blessings in early adolescents: An experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being, Gratitude and the Reduced Costs of Materialism in Adolescents, How Gratitude Can Get You Through Hard Times. Nurturing gratitude in our students by combining the outside-in approach of SEL with the inside-out method of contemplative practice allows students to really feel the benefits of gratitudea sure way to help them develop an attitude of gratitude for life. If you want to take this a step further, you may have them write down their thoughts, feelings and what theyre grateful for in a journal. You can incorporate time for gratitude journaling into your SEL curriculum, or use it as a way to start or end the school day. Vicki Zakrzewski, Ph.D., is the education director of the Greater Good Science Center. Some examples are: what are we thankful for in ourselves, family, friends, nature, water, or how we feel in our class. When faced with a challenge, students can use that positivity to help get them through their obstacles. This short meditation activity will teach kids how to be thankful for their day and leave them feeling positive and ready for each days adventures. All Rights Reserved. By making a small shift in the language, you can incorporate gratitude. FREE Masterclass for Stressed Out Teachers and Homeschooling Parents, The Top 10 Ways to Build Self-Esteem & Self-Confidence, Join Our FREE Community For Teacherpreneurs & Mompreneurs, Overcome Difficult Times and Build Resiliency, How to Feel Motivated and Good About Yourself | How to Feel Like Youre Good Enough, using prompts, such as the following resource, FREE MASTERCLASS: Systematic Plan to Super Passionate, How To Organize Your Class With Cheap Classroom Storage Ideas, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V5yFsDChWs&t=51s, 3 Simple Fathers Day Activities For Students, How to Write Meaningful and Effective Report Card Comments, Why Cultural Diversity is Important for Students, 5 Easy Mental Health Activities for Students, 3 Simple Mothers Day Activities For Students.