After your family has enjoyed your Thanksgiving feast, here are three activities that can help to make the day a time of giving thanks.
1. "Count Your Blessings"
Visuals
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Poster Make a poster and cut out objects (see below). Then write a blessing for which you are thankful on each cutout and tape or glue them on the poster. For example:
* Poster of a tree with leaf cutouts
* Draw a leafless tree on a piece of butcher paper or posterboard. (You can also open up a paper grocery bag to use as a large piece of paper.)
* Cut out leaves from colored paper and write (or have young children draw) something for which you are thankful on each leaf.
* Tape or glue them to the tree.
* Poster of a cornucopia with fruit and vegetable cutouts
* Poster of an umbrella or grass with raindrop cutouts (showers of blessings)
Basket or Box Decorate a box or basket to hold notes (e.g., 3x5 cards) written by family members expressing thankfulness for various blessings, great or small. Younger children can draw items.
Add more notes throughout the year. Review them occasionally or read them next Thanksgiving.
One family's tradition is to start a box on Thanksgiving into which family members put notes of thanks to each other ¿ with specific things they appreciate. They add to this box until Christmas and open the notes to each other before they share their gifts.
2. "What Am I
Thankful For?"
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Charades and/or Pictionary
Have Ready: a chalkboard, whiteboard, or a large pad of paper with markers.
The idea is for everyone to tell what they are thankful for by using the rules of charades or pictionary.
* Everyone gets a turn as others guess. This does not have to be a points or winning game - just fun!
* The game can continue after everyone has one turn as long as there is interest.
3. Your Family
Thanksgiving Service
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After your Thanksgiving feast, gather your family and friends for a time of:
* Singing hymns and songs of praise. See words and hear the music to many hymns of thanksgiving at Cyberhymnal.
* Recounting to each other the blessings of the Lord.
* Thanking Him together in prayer.
* Reading or quoting Bible verses or passages on thankfulness and God's blessings (many of the Psalms, including Psalm 100).
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