My Thankful Cards – Free Printable Thankfulness Activity Kids will Love

Several years ago, we had a family get together where all the aunts and uncles and cousins made “thankful” cards to hang on the wall. Just simple index cards, with a statement of something each of us was thankful for. One of my children was so excited to make thankful cards – he made 17 in all, and added more to his stack on the long drive home. Its so important to teach our kids to be thankful, and as a parent of six in a device-driven society, I can tell you – its not as easy as it seems. That’s why I wanted to share this free printable thankfulness activity kids will love with you.

Yes, you could just use plain index cards, but you can also print out these lovely cards which will look amazing printed on card stock and placed on your wall for the holidays and beyond. I don’t know why I was so surprised at the improvement I saw in my son’s attitude the first time we made thankful cards together — its such a great way to take the focus off of our own selfish desires and praise God for His goodness and all of the ways we are truly blessed.

I was also surprised at how many some of my kids wanted to make, so be prepared with more than you think you will actually need. We’ve included fifteen different cards in your download at the end of this post, but you can print them as many times you need for your personal celebrations where a thankfulness activity kids will love is needed.

Another great idea I had was to make a set of thankful cards printed on card stock, and connect them with a hole punch and a metal ring like this one, then have your child take the cards with him as you are out and about — he will be able to add new cards to his stash no matter where you are! This thankfulness activity kids will love is a great coping skill to get your child thinking about something other than the big feelings he/she is struggling with until calm enough to be rational. Its also a fun treasure to share with grandparents, aunts and uncles and friends!

If you would like, you can print out a couple dozen cards and have them ready with pens or crayons for your guests to fill out on Thanksgiving Day. Set them in a basket on your table or sideboard or coffee table. Then you can ask someone to read them together before your meal. Let each guest take their cards home as a testament to God’s goodness, or create a family scrapbook, saving the thankful cards from year to year to share with each other. With this thankfulness activity kids love to look back on all the great things God has done over the years in your family.

Creating and displaying thankful cards is creating a monument together as a family, testifying to the goodness and grace of God. In years to come, your children will look back and remember these cards and the importance you placed on having a grateful heart and an attitude of thankfulness. Our free printable thankfulness activity is an easy simple way to help teach your children thankfulness.