3 Gratitude Activities to Celebrate the Holidays with Your Family

When the holiday season comes around, our days can be filled with holiday shopping, cooking, decorating, and tons of seasonal plans that keep us busy. But the holidays are also a great time to slow down and remember what we’re thankful for. But how do we teach this to our kids? We have three activities you can do as a family to get everyone thinking about what makes life so special. And don’t worry, we have activities for younger kids, tweens, and teens! 

3 Gratitude Activities To Try With Your Family 

Create a gratitude tree

Good for ages 3–7

Supplies needed:

• Paper 
• Writing utensils
• Scissors 
• Glue or tape 

This is a fun, visual way to get kids thinking about all the things they’re thankful for in their lives. 

It’s hands-on and simple, making it great for younger kids. All you have to do is create some kind of tree trunk — you could literally just draw one on a piece of printer paper. Or if you want to go all out, you could get some brown construction paper and tape it to the wall, making a more life-sized tree.

Then, get some paper cut-outs of leaves and have your child write (or if they’re too young, write for them) something they’re thankful for on each paper leaf. Then spend some time gluing or taping the leaves to your tree. By the end of it, you’ll have a beautiful display of all the things your child said they love! 

Have your child make a gratitude collage

Good for ages 8–13

Supplies needed:

• Posterboard 
• Scissors
• Glue or tape 
• Writing utensils
• Access to printer or old magazines 

For kids who are a little older, you can give them a gratitude activity that’s more independent and allows them to express themselves. Have them create a visual gratitude collage of all the things they’re grateful for. They can start by making a list of what they’re grateful for, and then finding images to represent all those things. 

You could do this the old-fashioned way by getting a bunch of magazines and having them cut out images for their collage. Or, you can help them find images online, perhaps on Google, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. Depending on their access to the internet, you’ll likely want to do this part with them. Then, print the images out and let their creative juices flow as they piece together their gratitude collage! Consider asking them questions or have them present their board to the family to share about all the things they included. 

Ask gratitude conversation starters  

Good ages 14–18

Supplies needed:

• A place to write/type your questions 
• Optional: Popsicle sticks/slips of paper, a marker, and a jar. 

The older kids get, the less they may be into an arts and crafts project with their parents. And at this age, they’re capable of more nuanced conversations that move past the simple question: What are you thankful for? So we suggest gathering some conversation starters that will get your teen thinking about what it means to have a grateful attitude. 

You can simply have these questions on your phone or a piece of paper and ask them to your teens. But to make it more of a gratitude activity, you can write the questions on popsicle sticks or slips of paper and have your teen(s) pull one out and answer. And make it a group activity! When gathered around the Thanksgiving table, have each person pull out a question and answer for the group. 

Here is a list to get you started on conversation prompts for your teen: 

• Who in your life are you thankful for? 
• What qualities in a friend are you thankful for?
• Think about something you complain about a lot. How can you reframe this into something you’re thankful for? 
• What’s a mundane part of your daily routine that you are thankful for?
• Who do you think of as a great example of always/usually being grateful?
• How important do you think it is to show people in your life that you’re grateful for them? What are some ways you can express this to them?
• What’s a recent act of kindness you experienced that made you feel grateful?
• What’s the best piece of advice you've ever received, and who gave it to you?
• Have you ever had a difficult situation that, in hindsight, you feel grateful for? Why?
• What’s a skill or talent you have that you’re thankful for?
• Is there a song, movie, or book that you’re thankful for because it makes you feel understood or inspired?
• What’s one thing you’ve learned from your parents or guardians that you’re thankful for?
• What’s something that makes your school life easier or more enjoyable that you might take for granted?
• What’s one thing you’re looking forward to that you feel grateful to have the chance to experience?
• Can you think of a time when you helped someone else and it made you feel good? What happened?

Parental Controls to Be Thankful for

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