For those who already have a practice of gratitude or know what they are thankful for, make it into a fun word search here. In this post, we’ll talk about how to share gratitude with kids through word searches. Then we’ll help you come up with a list of things you’re thankful for to put in a Thanksgiving word search.

 

Teaching Kids Gratitude With a Thanksgiving Word Search

Kids are never too young to learn about gratitude. It may be more difficult when they do not yet have the cognitive skills to understand the world beyond themselves, but that makes it even more important to start now.

Parents.com and PBS both have great ideas for small ways to teach kids gratitude, each of which can be incorporated into a word search. First, talk about gratitude daily with your kids, and encourage them to say, “Thank you.” A daily gratitude list, or a list of things your child said “thank you” for that week, can go into My Word Search’s word list and instantly turn into a puzzle. It’ll be like a little reward for thankfulness!

Parents.com and PBS also recommend teaching your kids to write thank you notes to express gratitude. Your kids can include a word search in their thank you note with a word list for what they’re thankful for, or sharing things they love about the recipient of the letter.
For example, on Thanksgiving day, they can create a word search sharing gratitude for the foods they love eating most, or for the family members they are happy to see. This loving person made a word search with a word for each letter of the alphabet to express their gratitude.

The holidays are also a great time to teach kids about volunteer work as a means of expressing gratitude. Make a word search before their first volunteer session to introduce them to words relevant to the organization. This could lead to good conversations about helping others, what hardship looks like, and how to be thankful for what you have.

Around the holidays, giving kids less and encourage them to give to others more can help increase a child’s gratitude. Take them shopping for others, or show them how to make gifts like word searches or crossword puzzles!

 

Making a List of What You’re Thankful For

Whether it’s been your best year yet or you went through some hard times, making a gratitude list or a list of things you’re thankful for doesn’t need to be difficult. If you’re making your Thanksgiving word search with a child, let them go first. Their simple gratitudes are likely to get you started. If you’re creating a Thanksgiving word search by yourself, start out by finding a few lists others have made like this one, choosing a few ideas you relate to, then taking it from there. Even a simple thankfulness word search like the one below can help you feel a lot of gratitude:

The “Thanksgiving Thanks” word search below was written for the whole family. While some of the words are similar to each other in nature, you can feel the thankfulness again and again by using a different word for the same idea.

 

With the upcoming holidays, it’s a great opportunity to teach kids about gratitude. A word search sharing what you’re thankful for can go beyond Thanksgiving, too. Carry it through the rest of the holidays, or into every day. Creating word searches on a regular basis to enjoy what you’re thankful for will help you and your kids to live thankful lives.