I bet you’ve been working quite diligently the past couple months to get your new school year off to a solid start. Good for you! Now, perhaps it’s time for you and your children to pause just a bit and enjoy the changing season and the celebration of being “Thankful”. Of course you can weave the following ideas into your school day because each item on this list has a learning component. But don’t overthink it; just enjoy the opportunity to change things up a bit throughout this month. When you provide a few suggestions and a little direction, your children will be off and running – perhaps quite literally – with ideas galore, and energy to boot. You may choose to join them, or you may choose to “catch up” on some tasks that requires your attention . . . like making dinner. This is a list to get your creative juices flowing. Add some of your own ideas and share them with us on our FB group.
Using Google, find and purchase some new picture books on “Thanksgiving” to add to your family library.
Create your own “Gratitude” book for your family.
Decorate: cookies, a table, a card, a porch – bring the word “Thankful” into your fall decorating.
Share: a card, baked goods, a walk, a craft – choose something to share with someone who may be experiencing some hardship.
Create some table decor for your Thanksgiving meal.
Bring something like flowers from outside, inside.
Get some yummy fall smells wafting through the house: candles, essential oils, spiced cider, spiced baked goods.
Paint or color a picture of a fall scene from your yard or a nearby park.
Create cards with a “Thanksgiving” theme and send them to friends, pastors, teachers, and loved ones. Include a Thanksgiving poem.
Using one of the above suggestions, find a way to communicate your gratitude to community service workers, such as police officers and firefighters or to nursing home residents.
This list is designed to get ideas flowing, and to encourage you – or give you permission – to adjust your routine just a bit so you can focus some thoughts, time, and attention on embracing this special season of “Thanksgiving”. And by the way, did you know, we’re thankful for YOU!