Gratitude in Action: Free I Am Thankful Worksheets For Kids

Are you looking for a thankful worksheet packet this Thanksgiving season?

This is definitely the time of the year for kids of all ages to start really focusing on what they are thankful for!

Some might say that Thanksgiving Day is the traditional day to list all the good things we are grateful for.

But I would say that really the entire month of November is the perfect time to spend reflecting and writing about the blessings of the year.

The below worksheets are full of effective ways for kids to express their thankfulness – while having a lot of fun!

You will find coloring pages, writing opportunities, writing prompts, traceable sentences, drawing activities, and more!

****Don’t stress! You can download the below thanksgiving worksheets in no time. There are simple directions at the bottom of this post and an easy-to-find download link. 

Why A Sense of Gratitude Is More Important Than Ever

In the current age of social media, it can be oh, so easy to get caught in the comparison game. 

People (including kids!) are constantly online looking at other people’s highlight reels: new cars, amazing vacations, perfect outfits, unbelievable food, and anything else someone can take a picture of that is impressive. 

Enormous amounts of research has shown that this makes people feel depressed, anxious, and discontent. 

They are so focused on what they *don’t have* that they hardly notice what they do have. Especially compared to billions of other people around the world.

If you are reading this, it is likely that your kids live in the United States – one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world. 

While many people around the world are struggling to get clean water, enough food to eat, and a quality education for their kids, many American children are having very real mental health struggles over not having more things.  

Instilling a grateful attitude in children has been shown to improve psychological well-being, reduce stress, increase self-esteem, increase resilience, improve sleep, improve relationships, and even improve levels of happiness!

So let’s get going!

Check Out Your Free Printable Gratitude Worksheet Packet!

This first gratitude worksheet is an excellent activity for younger kids and older kids. 

Tell the student to write 3-4 sentences about what they’re thankful for, why they’re thankful, and then draw a picture in the box. 

A great way to use this sheet would be to print out several copies and make a gratitude journal.

Every day the student could sit down and write about a new thing they are thankful for.

If you did this for the 10 days or so leading up to Thanksgiving, the student might really have to dig deep to come up with something beyond the usual suspects: friends, family, physical health, etc.

This Thanksgiving activity features block letters that say “I Am Thankful For,” fall leaves, and pumpkins in assorted sizes.

Your child can color those things and then fill out the lines in the center of the pages with the things she is thankful for. 

There is also a “by line” at the bottom of the page for the student to sign their names.

For teachers, these sheets would be the perfect activity to post on a Thanksgiving-themed classroom bulletin board. 

Say hello to the thankful turkey!

This lovable guy is not for Thanksgiving dinner. He’s going to give your child a fun way to write down all the things he is thankful for.  

Tell your student to write one thing on each of the turkey’s feathers. 

To finish up this fun craft, have the student color in the turkey, using light fall colors that won’t cover the Thanksgiving words. 

Lastly, your student could cut out the turkey’s body, and paste it onto a piece of construction paper.

Let the child decide between hanging the craft on the wall or giving it to a family member.

This is a great activity for young ones who might need a little help with fine motor skills of writing.

Tell the student to trace the letters, “I am thankful for.”

Then help your child finish the sentence while assisting as needed. 

Lastly, have the child color the apple pie in the box and draw what is in their sentence. 

This could also be used for daily journal pages in the month of November for younger children.

This is a fun activity for kids around fourth grade or even older children. 

If the students don’t already know what an acrostic-style poem is, be sure to explain the concept and give some examples. 

Some of the letters may be easy for your child, but she might need a little brainstorming help or even a dictionary to finish it. 

When it is complete, offer some colored pencils or crayons to finish off the grateful worksheet with a pop of fall colors!

This coloring worksheet also serves as a great Thanksgiving writing activity for older students. 

To challenge the student, consider saying certain answers are off-limits, such as family, health, etc.

Tell the child you don’t want what their quick response might be. 

You want them to write about something much deeper and something more specific.

For example, your kiddo might really be thankful for the walks in nature they took this year. 

Or making a new friend.

Or a new hobby they discovered – like sketching, writing, or a sport!

End the activity by coloring the silly picture of the Thanksgiving turkey inside the pumpkin.

This coloring worksheet is an excellent activity for young ones to think about what they have to be grateful for – without actually writing.

The directions are to color only the 5 things they are most thankful for.

This will hopefully spur a lot of thought and discussion among your family or your classroom!

The kids will likely want to color all of the items but use that feeling to remind them how full their lives really are.

 They are so blessed and have so many wonderful things to be thankful for.

This gratitude jar worksheet is an excellent activity to help kids think about how full their life truly is.

Tell your kids that they can fill their jar by either writing or drawing what they are thankful for. 

An option for young children might be to cut and paste pictures from magazines. They could then present their work and explain the images they chose. 

If you want to take your attitude of gratitude further than just this time of year, you could also place a real mason jar in your home.

Place small pieces of paper nearby for people to write down what they are grateful for.

It can become one of your Thanksgiving traditions to pull out all the slips of paper and read over all the wonderful things that happened during the year. 

The first Thanksgiving was all about Native Americans, pilgrims, and wild turkeys!

This sweet coloring page is a great way to go through that history with your student. 

What were the pilgrims so thankful for? Why?

What might the Native Americans have been thankful for? Why?

Ask the student what she might be thankful for in light of all that history.

Have the student trace the words, “I am thankful for” and then help them finish the sentence as needed.

This thankful list worksheet is a great idea for kids who need a little more structure or focus when thinking about what they are thankful for.

There can be a lot of pressure to say the “right thing” when you’re asked what you’re thankful for. 

Some kids might freeze or feel pressured to say something obvious. 

This thankful activity is just asking the student what he is thankful for today. 

Maybe it’s doing well on a quiz earlier. 

Or getting the last of the cereal at breakfast.

Or time to hang out with her friends later.

Whatever it is, just tell them to write out what has happened today or will happen today that she is thankful for.

In truth, that kind of attitude of daily gratitude is a positive thing and it should be the main goal of these Thanksgiving activities. 

End the activity by having your student write or draw something that they are thankful for every day.

Examples of that would be family, friends, freedom, love, health, etc.

What If My Kid Really Struggles To Come Up With Something They’re Thankful For?

If your child hasn’t spent a lot of time previously thinking about his blessings, it might be a real challenge to come up with more than a couple of things to list.

Doesn’t everybody have all of these things? Is it really that big of a deal?

1. Ask Open-Ended Questions:

Begin the conversation with open-ended questions to get them thinking. For example:

• • “Hey [child’s name], can you tell me something that made you really happy or grateful today?”
  • “What’s one thing that made you smile or feel good recently?”

2. Encourage Specifics:

If their initial response is vague, encourage them to be more specific. For example:

• “That’s great! Can you tell me more about why you felt that way?”
• “What was it about that moment that made you thankful?”

3. Share your own experiences of gratitude. 

Sharing something you’re thankful for may help a kid to come up with their own ideas.

4. Explore Different Categories:

To help them think beyond the immediate, you can suggest exploring various categories of gratitude, such as:

• • People (friends, family, teachers)
  • Experiences (fun outings, learning something new)
  • Things (toys, books, favorite foods)
  • Feelings (happiness, love, safety)

5. Create A Gratitude Routine:

Encourage them to make gratitude a part of their daily routine. For instance:

• “How about we share something we’re thankful for every night before bedtime?”
• “Let’s start a gratitude journal where we write down what we’re thankful for each day.”

Click Here To Download Your I Am Thankful Free Worksheet Packet Now!

Click the above text link/image link to download your free printable worksheets in a PDF file. A new window will open and you will be able to download and print today! No email address or other personal data is required.

Terms of Use: These thankful printables are for homeschool use, classroom use, co-op use, and personal use. The Simple Homeschooler printables are never for commercial use. Thank you!

I hope that you and your kiddo really enjoy weaving these printable Thanksgiving worksheets into your lessons this holiday season!

Maybe you use them as a little creative writing project that stretches all month.

Or maybe a teacher sensd them home as a simple homework assignment for evening reflection. 

Whatever creative way you choose to use these gratitude activities, I hope you instill in your kids that the word Thanksgiving doesn’t just mean a big meal at the dinner table.

It is the perfect holiday to take a pause and really think about the blessings, gifts, and great things in our daily lives. Things we may have taken for granted before, but really want to acknowledge now. 

And my hope is that you and your kiddo carry that attitude through Christmas and into the New Year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Read Next: