Gratitude Activities for Kids: Showing Gratitude
This session includes gratitude activities for kids, helping students notice and appreciate the people and things in their lives. Through a short video, they explore the idea of taking a few quiet minutes each day to think about what they are thankful for. A discussion invites students to name a good time for this and one person they value, and a quick game lets them choose the way of showing gratitude that feels best to them. They leave with simple ways to express thanks.
Extension activity
- Skill
- Self-Regulation
- Goal
- Being Mindful
- Grade level
- Elementary School
Get everything you need to teach the skill
These materials are part of a no-prep session designed by our clinical team, with all the structure, scaffolding, and support you need to teach included.
Engaging materials
Video lessonShowing Gratitude
Today we’re going to talk about the concept of gratitude. Who can define what the word ‘gratitude’ means? Can anyone give an example of what showing gratitude looks like?
- Extension activity
Interactive Worksheet: What I’m Grateful For
In this interactive question-and-answer activity, students reflect on things they are grateful for at school, at home, with friends or family, and every day to practice building a daily gratitude habit.
Plus everything you need to teach them
Warm-up
- Video: Hot Cocoa Breathing2:05
- Video: Daily Intention2:59
- Video: Body Squeeze2:12
Session Opener
Guiding Question: What is gratitude?
Practice
- Discussion Question
- Role-Play Activity
- Mini Game
How to use it with your students
- 1Watch Play the video lesson so students see the skill in action.
- 2Practice Try the skill together with a discussion prompt, role-play, or mini game.
- 3Extend Use the extension activity to help students carry the skill further.
What's Covered
In this lesson, students learned what gratitude means and explored why noticing the people and things they appreciate helps them feel happier and more connected. They practiced naming things they were grateful for and thinking about ways to thank the people who help them.
Key Terms
- Gratitude
- The feeling of being thankful for the people and things in your life. You show it by noticing what others do for you and telling them thank you or doing something kind back.
- Mindfulness
- Paying attention to what is happening right now, including how your body feels and what you see, hear, and smell.
Sample IEP Goal This Session Supports
-
Mindfulness
Learner will independently initiate a mindfulness practice (e.g., breathing exercise, movement break, body scan) when noticing a need to reset, and engage with the practice for its full duration, in 4 out of 5 opportunities independently/given X prompt(s).
Send this tip home to support generalization
At home or in the classroom, when a student mentions someone who helped them, you can suggest they thank that person with a quick note or a few spoken words. Hearing the thank-you out loud helps the moment feel real.
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Frequently asked questions
Is this intervention free?
Yes, this ready-to-teach session on Showing Gratitude is free. You can access this intervention free for 14 days through the Everyday Speech Session Library. Every user gets three free sessions, but you can get more or extend your access by sharing the Session Library with friends and colleagues.
What ages is this for?
These materials are designed for elementary school students.
What's included?
You'll get access to your choice of warm-up videos, a session opener, a core material on Showing Gratitude, three practice prompts, and an extension activity, Interactive Worksheet: What I’m Grateful For.
What skill does this intervention teach?
This ready-to-teach session is on self-regulation - more specifically, being mindful.
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