Homegrown Learners: Expressions of Gratitude From Our Children

To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude
means to take nothing for granted,
but to always seek out and value
the kind that will stand behind the action.
Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course.
Everything originates in a will for the good,
which is directed at you.
Train yourself never to put off
the word or action for the expression of gratitude.

~ Albert Schweitzer

One of my primary goals as a mother is to instill thankfulness in my children.

Aren't we ALL happier and uplifted when we express thanks? I love Schweitzer's words:

Train yourself never to put off

the word or action for the expression of gratitude.

To this end, I try to make sure to model thankfulness myself, say "thank you" as often as possible, and point out to my children situations in which they should be thankful.

I also believe in writing thank you notes. They are a tangible expression of your gratitude. They show the giver you APPRECIATE the time and thought that went into their gift to you.

I have blogged (eons ago!) about friendly letter writing. The time has come to teach GMan the specifics of friendly letters and thank you notes. The weeks following Christmas are the perfect time for this!

I'm so thankful for First Language Lessons and it's thorough lesson on thank you notes and friendly letters.

Little did I know our lesson would turn into a ONE HOUR PROJECT! His letter to Grandma and Grandpa was so detailed (he listed each Lego set he bought with his Christmas money!); I can't wait until they receive it in the mail. It will brighten their day.

Here are other resources for writing thank you notes with your children:

My Friendly Letter - a cute resource I found via Pinterest... printable and lesson

Jan Brett Friendly Letter Stationery - printables in color or b/w

Computer Generated Thank You Letter - love this! It is from Read, Write & Think and is a full interactive lesson. It talks students through a friendly or business letter and you can print at the end.... I'm using this with my oldest.