I love gratitude activities – at Thanksgiving and all year round.
Jocelyn Scotty wrote about a Montessori-inspired gratitude activity in an article at Suite.io called “How to Create a Montessori Gratitude Jar.” (The article is no longer available.) A gratitude jar can be used in either a classroom or family setting.
Many families and classrooms have gratitude activities throughout November. The Montessori gratitude jar is a language-development and gratitude activity that’s meant to be used year-round. You only need a beautiful container, blank slips of paper, and a pencil to start a gratitude jar for written expressions of gratitude. The colors of paper can be changed throughout the year. Here’s a lovely way the jar can be opened on Thanksgiving and a new jar started the day after Thanksgiving:
“On Thanksgiving or another special day, many families remove all the slips and read them aloud prior to sitting down to enjoy a meal together. Parents and children alike love to read through each slip and relive the memories of the past year together. The slips for the year are then glued or taped into a family memory journal and made into a keepsake. The Gratitude Jar starts anew the next day, ready for new feelings of thankfulness and gratitude to be recorded.”
New Year’s Day would be another great time to start a gratitude jar.
UPDATES: Check out my roundup post with lots of Montessori-inspired gratitude activities.
You’ll find more gratitude activities in these posts here and at BitsofPositivity.com (my other blog) :
- How to Help Your Kids Have an Attitude of Gratitude
- How to Help Your Kids Have an Attitude of Gratitude, Part 2 (November Gratitude Activities)
- Montessori-Inspired Gratitude Activities
- November Gratitude Inspiration and Activities
- 20+ Family Gratitude Activities
- Free Gratitude Songs and Rhymes for Home or School
- 30+ Free Thanksgiving Gratitude Printables for Kids
- 20+ Free Year-Round Gratitude Printables for Kids
- Free Guided Gratitude Meditations for Kids {Mindfulness Resources}
- Free Guided Gratitude Meditations {Mindfulness Resources for Teens and Adults}
- Free Gratitude Printables and Montessori-Inspired Gratitude Activities
- Free Gratitude Do-a-Dot Phonics Printable (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Gratitude Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- The Best Gratitude Books for Kids
- Thank You for Planet Earth (or Thank You, Planet Earth) Mindfulness Cards and Booklet
- Gratitude Activities and Inspiration Pinterest Board
Does your family have a special gratitude activity for Thanksgiving or throughout the year?
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Jessie says
We place polished stones at our table, in our places. As we sit, we put our rock in a vase full of water. Each person says a kind thought and puts their rock in. It’s visible that the water rises when more rocks go in. Full of love.
Deb Chitwood says
Thanks so much for your comment, Jessie! I LOVE your idea – what a great tradition!
kelly says
This is a wonderful idea Deb! We have a dish with positive thoughts written out, things like: “I am a good artist” which is good for quiet time & personal reflection. But I really like the idea of making something similar that is thankful for OTHER people/things. Thank you for sharing.
Deb Chitwood says
Thanks, Kelly! I love your idea of a dish of positive thoughts, too!
Penny says
What a great idea!!! This is going to be added to our family time for sure!!!
Thanks for passing on your brilliance!!! LOL!
have a wonderful iFellowship Day & an even better Thanksgiving!
Deb Chitwood says
Thanks, Penny! I loved finding all the details for using a gratitude jar year-round! I hope you have a wonderful iFellowship Wednesday and very blessed Thanksgiving, too!
Jen M says
New follower via Wednesday Blog Hop 🙂
Jen @ My Secret Home
Deb Chitwood says
Thanks for following me, Jen! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!