The Virtue of Gratitude and Young Children
Teaching young children the art of gratitude can be difficult, especially when children are naturally egocentric, but nurturing this character trait will certainly pay off.
According to Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, genuine gratitude is the key to living a happy and fulfilling life. Dr. Emmons has found through his studies that practicing gratitude can increase happiness level by around 25%. He also mentions that gratitude increases creativity and productivity.
I love the simple song from my childhood, "I think the World is Glorious." Each time I am feeling down or a little less grateful, I sing this little song over in my brain as a reminder of gratitude.
Because teaching young children the virtue of gratitude is so important, I would like to share a few tips to build a greater sense of gratitude in not only our own hearts, but in the hearts of children in our lives.
Model Gratitude
Openly voice appreciation for the world and those who truly make it a better place. Use words of gratitude to increase appreciative vocabulary. Call attention to the kindness of others and show respect for efforts by using words like "please" and "thank you" in front of your children. Express gratitude for the child and how he/she make your life better.
Show Appreciation
Display genuine appreciation for a child’s efforts for assigned tasks. Never jump in and help them, but rather appreciate their abilities as you let them experience that completing tasks take effort. As this effort is experienced, appreciation for the efforts of others will evolve.
Be Patient
Allow your child to evolve the virtue of gratitude naturally. Reinforce constantly, and compliment each step along the way. Understand that children's egocentricity is common and natural, and that learning to be grateful is a process.
Create Opportunities
Allow opportunity for children to be generous. Create “Secret Helpers” in the classroom or home. Help your child/children to do small tasks for others in secret, to allow for the experience of watching the joy felt by others.
Don't Focus On Possessions
Remove material things from the gratitude equation. In the days of affordable toys, children generally have many possession they gained without any effort. I would call this lucky. “Wow, aren't you lucky to have such great toys?” But once you tag the need to be grateful for these toys to the equation, the child will not be able to truly discern what grateful is, as most toys are gained without effort. Rather, focus on the gratefulness of food, family, love, caring, fun, time, events, field trips, excursions, and other gifts of a non-material nature. Also focus on things of nature such as moisture, sunshine, day, night, stars, etc.
Document Gratitude
Create a classroom or family grateful journal. Assign a different family member or class member to record something he/she appreciates. Read the journal as a group once each week, reflecting on each new entry.
One of my favorite teacher spots is Wondergrovekids.org. Check out the free videos on the topics of thankfulness.
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Product Description
Writing Center For Thanksgiving
Help young children become writers by having a writing center that is filled with learning activities that are easy to set-up and change! Both you and your students will love the predictability of these writing center activities.
Vocabulary cards for this packet include
Thanksgiving Words:
November, pie, hat, apple, cornucopia, Indians, Native Americans, pilgrim, pumpkin, turkey, family, football, leaves.
Contents include:
Can Have Are Labels & Worksheets
Thanksgiving Write a Story Task Card
Write a Story Worksheets
Label-It Task Card
Label-It Student Worksheets
Make a List Task Card
Make a List Student Worksheet
Make a List Word Wall
Write The Room Task Card- Sight Words
Write the Room Word Cards
Write the Room Task Card- Alphabet
Write the Room Word Cards
Write the Room Worksheets
Backwards Words Task Card
Backwards Words Worksheets
Backwards Word Word Cards
QR Words/Letters Task Card
QR Words/Letters Worksheets
QR Sight Words
QR Alphabet Letters
© Kathy Crane Kindergarten Kiosk
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Product Description
Thanksgiving Songs and Fingerplays for November
November and is a great month to celebrate family, friends, food and gratitude.
Using songs and finger plays throughout the school day not only makes for a happier environment, it increases reading and math skills, and has proven effect on classroom management!
These song posters include links to versions on Youtube.
Twelve Songs Are Included
America
Go My Son
Ho Ho Wotenay
Over The River
A Very Fine Turkey
Five Fat Turkeys
I Am Thankful
Funny Turkey
Let's Be Thankful
Turkey Dinner
Glad I'm Not a Turkey
Thanksgiving Cheer
All of our thematic units contain songs to bring joy into your classroom. A few units I love to use in November are:
© Kathy Crane Kindergarten Kiosk
Related Thematic Units
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Thanksgiving Themed Writing Activities
Fall Writing Activities for Preschool
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Product Description
School To Home Connect
Year Long Homework Bundle
This parent involvement resource will help strengthen the school-home connection as students practice essential preschool skills.
These January to December packets consists of simple games and activities that are fun and easy for the parent and child to complete together, returning only a checklist if you choose. Extend the learning at home by sending home monthly homework packets that are strategically linked to the Common Core Standards. Your students and parents alike will love the easy to use formats, engaging activities, and ease of homework management.
Contents Include
This packet includes contains all 16 Packets in our
Kindergarten Series. And ALL 16 packets have two versions, English and Spanish Translation.
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. Plus, three bonus packets: Fall Intervention Packet, Winter Intervention Packet, Spring Intervention Packet are included.
January
The Snowman: A book to read together
Snowy Lotto: An alphabet game
Winter Delivery: A sight word activity
Color Match Snowmen: A color word activity
A Winter Wonderland: A blending game
Snowflake Swirl: A counting on activity
Snowman Clock: A math activity
January Calendar: A number handwriting activity
February
"Little Valentine's" A book to read together
Heart Bingo: Flash Hearts--Sight word activities
Don't Break My Heart: A word segmenting game
My Valentine's: Using Valentines to extend learning
Dragon Dance: Alphabet Sound Fluency
Number Games: Math Activities
February Calendar: A number handwriting Activity
March
Guided Reader: Out In Space
Mr. Spaceman: Conventions of Print
Letter Blast Off: Alphabet Letter Sound Naming Automaticity
Race Through Space: Alphabet Letter Naming Automaticity
Skip Counting: Counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's
Alien Planet: Segmenting Words Into Individual Phonemes
Decode it-Defeat it: Reading CVC Words
Alien Snap: Counting From Any Given Number
April
The Pond: A Sight word/Decodable Reader
Slithering Snakes: Alphabet sound fluency
Frogger: A Decoding game
Turtle Lotto: A sight word game
Family of Ducks: Word families
April Calendar: Number writing
Frog Eggs: Composing numbers
Spring Basket: Plus and minus
May
The Jungle: A guided reader (available in two levels)
ROAR!: A decoding game
Safari Sights: A sight word game
The Jungle: A writing activity
Around the Zoo: A sentence game
At the Zoo: A comprehension activity
The Zoo Parade: An addition game
Gorillas in Cages: A subtraction game
June
Capture the Butterfly: A word family game
Mosquito Slap: A sight word game
Flower Garden: A sentence game
I Can Be a Scientist: A decodable book
Lilypad Leap: A number line game
Ladybug Addition: An addition activity
Dragonfly Subtraction: A subtraction activity
Across the Curriculum: A collection of fun learning activities
July
Guided Reader: The Beach (Level C)
Sand Castles: A sight word game
Summer Celebration: A sentence game
Diving for Letters: Alphabet recognition
Shell Addition: An addition activity
Beach Ball Subtraction: A subtraction activity
The Number Swim: Writing numbers
August
Rhyme Book: A mini book of rhymes
My ABC's: An alphabet activity
A Ride to the Park: A color recognition game
The Shape of Things: Shape recognition
Number Flashcards: Number recognition
Name Writing: A handwriting activity
All About ME: Community-building activity
September
The Game: A book to read together
Football Flashcards: A capital letter review
Kick Off ABC Game: An alphabet game
Name Cheer: Letter recognition
Football Rhymes: A rhyming game
The Team: A number game
Huddle Up: Number activity
October (Also includes Non-Halloween Option)
Haunted House: A syllable game
Boo to You: An alphabet game
Spider Race: An alphabet activity
Monster Cookies: A beginning sound activity
Dark Woods Math: A number game
No Tricks, Just Treats: A sort and graph activity
November
My Bear: A Guided Reading Book
Time to Hibernate: An Alphabet Game
Star Gazing: A Letter Sound Game
A Walk In the Woods: An Ending Sounds Game
Letter Trace: Handwriting Activity
Bear Math: Variety of Math Activities
Number Bears: A Flashcard Activity
December
Christmas Time: A Guided Reading Book
Christmas Tree ABC: An Alphabet Game
To the North Pole: A Rhyming Game
Christmas Sounds: A Phoneme Isolation Game
Sound Train: Alphabet Sound Fluency
Christmas Memory: A Number Game
Letter Cookies: A Handwriting Activity
Additional Bonus of Strategic Intervention Packets: Offer concrete help to parents as you build a bridge between school and home, by offering this Intervention Packet as a way for parents to extend the learning at home. These great family games will not only provide additional teaching opportunities for kindergarten skills, they will also give parents opportunity to become familiar with academic concepts and their child's academic strength and weaknesses first hand.
Fall RTI
I like Books: Guided Reader
Alphabet Flashcards
Capital Shake: An Alphabet Game
My Letters: A Fluency Activity
Sound Isolation: Beginning Sounds Game
Rhyming Memory: Rhyming Game
A-Z Handwriting: Handwriting Practice
Number Trace: Number Formation
Winter RTI
Planes: An alphabet sound game
Letter/Sound Fluency: Two fluency practice sheets
Matching Middles: A phonemic awareness activity
Find the Picture: A blending/segmenting game
Letter Writing: Handwriting practice
Sight Word Study: A sight word activity
Color The Shape: A math activity
Number Bingo: A 0-20 game.
Spring RTI
The Early Bird: Alphabet Fluency
The Hungry Lamb: Sound Fluency
Spring Rhymes: Producing Rhyming
Rain, Rain, Go Away: A Decoding Game
Flower Garden: A Sight Word Activity
Bunny Hop: A Segmenting Game
Word Riddles: Phonemic Awareness
Number Hunt: Number Recognition
Baby Lambs: Addition
© Kindergarten Kiosk
Three levels are available for all 12 months of the year.
For your convenience, each activity is strategically linked to Core Standards.
This is also great product for parents looking to enrich learning, or homeschool parents that maintain a year round schedule
Note: All of our homework packets are available at three levels, Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st Grade.
Bundles Save You Money
Kindergarten Home-Connect Yearly 16-Packet Bundle
Preschool Home-Connect Yearly Bundle
First Grade Home-Connect Yearly Bundle
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Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Product Description
Thanksgiving Activities for every area of your curriculum.
The perfect cross-curricular Thanksgiving Theme Unit celebrating the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people that worked through conflicts to celebrate a day of thankfulness.
Are you looking for successful tried and tested activities that will thrill the students in your classroom or homeschool setting.
This Thanksgiving unit is strategically linked to Core Standards! It is divided into areas of literature, media, music, art, literacy activities, math activities, worksheets, science activities, creative writing, word wall words, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
Literacy Activities:
Hop To It: Identifying Letters and Sounds
Hop To It: Reading CVC Words
Turkey Lurkey: Producing and Generating Rhymes.
Turkey Twist: Kinesthetic Practice With Letter Recognition
Dinner Rush: Naming & Generating Beginning Sounds
Thanksgiving Races: Developing Fluency
Rhyming Worksheet
Math Activities:
Turkey Guesses: Making Estimates
A Feast For All: Counting Objects to Show Physical Representation of Numbers
Thanksgiving Feast: Counting Forward From a Given Number in a Set of 10
The Turkey Dance: Identifying Numbers and Recording Results.
Thanksgiving Parade: Ordering 1-10 Ten Frames
The Turkey Bowl: Comparing Groups of Objects
Songs
Gobble Gobble Gobble
5 Fat Turkeys
I Like Turkey
A Very Fine Turkey
The River is Flowing
Rock a Bye Baby
Writing Prompts/Word Wall (Style Choices)
Thanksgiving
I am Thankful For
Thanksgiving Vocabulary Word Wall
Art Projects
Handprint Turkey
Easy Construct Pilgrim
Draw a Turkey
Guided Reading Books
Happy Thanksgiving
Social Studies
Pilgrim Kids: Compare and Contrast Facts
Wampanoag Kids Compare and Contrast
Native American Cultures and Social Study Ideas
© Kathy Crane Kindergarten Kiosk
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Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Use these November Themed Alphabet and/or * Sight Word Cards for the Following Activities:
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Product Description
School To Home Connect
Preschool October Homework
This parent involvement resource will help strengthen that connection as students practice essential preschool skills.
This October packet consists of simple games and activities that are fun and easy for the parent and child to complete together, with nothing to return, or use the turn-in signed check off sheet if you wish, because choices are included.
Parents and children alike love these fun, exciting. and time-tested NO-PREP home connection packets.
Three levels are available for all 12 months of the year.
For your convenience, each activity is strategically linked to Core Standards.
This is also great product for parents looking to enrich learning, or homeschool parents that maintain a year round schedule
Contents Include.
Turkey Time Rhymes
Alphabet: E F G and H
Numbers: 3, 4, and 5
The Pumpkin Patch: A syllable game
Harvest Basket: A math game
Color Book: Color identification
Shapes: The Square
© Kindergarten Kiosk
Note: All of our homework packets are available at three levels, Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st Grade.
Bundles Save You Money
Kindergarten Home-Connect Yearly 16-Packet Bundle
Preschool Home-Connect Yearly Bundle
First Grade Home-Connect Yearly Bundle
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