Thankfulness Paper Chain - Help Build your Thankfulness Brain

Build your Thankfulness Brain with a Thanksgiving Paper Chain

Helping our Kids learn about Gratitude

 

This activity is perfect for kids of any age. It's a great way to get them thinking about what they are thankful for and how they can help others. Activities like this are a great way to build a “thankful brain” and November is a perfect time as we celebrate Thanksgiving. 

It's the time of year when we celebrate the things we have and give thanks to those who helped us achieve our goals. Gratitude is a powerful feeling that can change your life if you let it. Younger kids might not understand what gratitude or thankfulness means. This is an easy, daily way to introduce them to the concepts. 

The amazing thing is that it doesn’t have to be huge and monumental. I see kids who are amazed and thrilled with some of the simplest things… things we often overlook during the hustle and bustle of the holidays, or even just our daily busyness. This is a great reminder for us as well to slow down, soak things up and appreciate the small moments. Thankfulness is a virtue that we should all try to cultivate. This gratitude paper chain activity for kids can be used as a way to teach children about thankfulness and the virtue of thankfulness.

I hope this activity helps children think about what they are grateful for and encourages them to be more generous in their lives.

We like to bring you fun activities which are 

1. super simple and quick, using what you already have at home
2. build confidence
3. encourage independence
4. spark their imagination

Here’s how it works:

First, decide if you want to do the whole month of November or just until Thanksgiving Day. 

Next, choose a paper - 

1. We have a free printable here. There are printer-friendly pages that take less toner if you need it. If you print the pages make sure you don't select "print on both sides of paper"... (ask me how I know)  
2. or, if you don’t have a printer, you have some construction paper or pretty scrapbook paper  you can use that. Just cut the paper into strips that are big enough for your kiddo to write on. For example, on a regular sheet of construction paper, you can cut out 10 strips. We recommend having strips that are about 1 - 1.5 inches high. And here is a way to make it super fun - Choose colors to match your decor or your kiddo’s favorite color(s). 

If they are big enough, let your kiddo do the cutting.  There are dotted lines to help them out. Each kid will need 25 strips of paper if you are stopping at Thanksgiving Day, or 30 if you want to do the whole month. 

Cut the daily prompts out and place in a jar or basket. Each day pull out a slip of paper and let your child write, or draw their answer. If they aren’t quite ready for that then you can write it for them. It is best to do it at around the same time everyday, maybe at dinner time or bedtime. Doesn’t matter, just pick a time and stick with it. 

Take time to talk about the prompt and try to help them describe their “why” for the answer. Who was there? What do they remember about the event or person? Where were they? How did it make them feel? If they can’t answer, that’s ok. The important thing is to get their gears turning to start building those thankfulness muscles in their brains. 

As you fill out the chain links, staple or glue them together to start forming your chain. Find a fun place to hang it where they can see it every day. Make sure to call attention to how it is growing as they add more links. 

This is a great activity for kids and it is also really fun. And aren’t you smart because - tada!!! - this activity can serve double duty. It can be used as an introduction to the virtue of thankfulness in November and then re-use as a countdown to Christmas.  Remove one link a day to countdown to Christmas and talk about the things you were grateful for in November. Boy, you are really flexing that thankfulness brain!!!

We hope you enjoy this activity. Remember to tag us with #jollyolifun when you share your photos and videos! We love to share your pictures with all our other Cool Kids. 

Here's the link one more time 

 

 

 

keywords: paper chain game, thanksgiving paper chain activity, thanksgiving countdown activity, thirty days of thankfulness printable, thanksgiving paper chain instructions, thankfulness printable, gratitude, thanksgiving, thankful, thankfulness brain, gratitude paper chain activity, gratitude paper chain activity for children, free printable paper chain, gratitude paper chains, paper chains activities for kids, how to build a paper chain with kids, easy thanksgiving ideas for kids, free thanksgiving printable