Fostering Thankfulness in Children
The Thanksgiving season is a wonderful time of year and provides a great opportunity to help children understand the value of gratitude in our lives. As Christian parents and teachers, however, we want to do more than simply remind our kids that they should say “thank you.”
We want to foster a spirit of thanksgiving in children so they reflect this important quality in the way they live now and as they grow older. Here are some simple suggestions for doing just that.
Give Them An Awareness of His Person
Biblical faith is based on the character of God as revealed in the Bible. Giving your children an understanding that God is the Creator and sovereign Lord of the universe (Jer. 32:17) will help them see that we don’t live at the whim of accident or chance. Our loving and powerful God is in control of history and current events. He has a plan for your family as well as the world. This will also give them faith to endure when things don’t go as we want them to go.
Talk to them about the fact that the God of the Bible is sovereign. Remind them regularly that He is loving. Make Bible reading a consistent part of your family’s routines so they learn that it is God’s revelation. Teaching your children about WHO God is will foster a spirit of thanksgiving in them.
Give Them Confidence in His Provisions
Let your kids hear you express your gratitude for God’s past and present provision as well as your own confidence in His future provision. Children learn by watching you. Make this a regular part of their lives by saying a prayer of thanksgiving at meal times or bed time. Encourage them to pray also, thanking God specifically for all He has done for you as a family.
As parents or teachers, be careful about sharing your anxiety over financial concerns. Instead, talk to them about the ways God has been faithful to provide for you in the past and that He expects us to be obedient (Deut. 11:13-15). This will help them develop confidence in His future provision.
Give Them An Assurance of His Presence
It’s not difficult for kids to believe in a God they can’t see, even at a young age. Encourage them to believe Jesus is in the home and present in everything they do (Matt. 28:20). Just because God is the Creator of the universe doesn’t mean He’s distant or inaccessible. Here again, daily prayer can serve to remind and teach kids that God is real and present.
You may also want to decorate your home with simple reminders of God’s presence. Little messages placed on mirrors or walls in the child’s room can become an ongoing, subtle, but important reminder that the Lord is there. Giving children an assurance of God’s presence will encourage a heart of thanksgiving in them.
For other resources designed to teach kids about thanksgiving, click here.
Rick Edwards
Author, Speaker, Bible Teacher
See a list of other articles by Rick Edwards.
