Free Gratitude Lesson Plans for Preschool
We are grateful that you are here! If you are looking for a way to creatively engage and teach your preschoolers about the gratitude and appreciation, then you have come to the right place! We are offering free gratitude lesson plans for preschool that focus on helping young students learn all about the beauty of our blessings, both big and small.
Teaching kids to show gratitude and find ways to express love and appreciation is a life skill that will serve and support children through their whole lives.
Free Preschool Lesson Plans for a Gratitude Theme
We have put together these gratitude preschool lesson plans for your preschoolers because we know how important it is to practice gratitude in our lives. Modeling grateful behavior is a tough emotion for many preschoolers because it is an abstract concept that can be hard for young children to fully absorb.
Developmentally, preschoolers have a strong sense of self which can make it difficult for them to understand how other’s feel or a difference in perspective. Teaching children gratitude is a simple and small step into developing empathy and value for others.
We have gathered our favorite gratitude activities to develop those skills and work on appreciating the world around us. To teach gratitude is a
Important Info About These Gratitude Lesson Plans
The Learn at Home Preschool Lesson Plans are free lesson plans you can use to teach your preschooler at home.
All the preschool learning activities are quick and easy to set up, designed to save time, requiring hardly any (if any at all) prep and only requires the most basic of household materials. This makes them especially easy for parents to implement…and this makes preschool teachers especially happy, too!
Just glance over the lessons each day, gather the very few materials needed, and you’re ready to go!
But don’t be fooled by the name “at home” preschool lesson plans! These activities work wonderfully in the classroom as well, and if you’re a preschool teacher who is remotely teaching you can send these lesson plans to your student’s parents.
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Product on sale* Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans BundleOriginal price was: $60.00.$22.00Current price is: $22.00.
Hands-On Activities for a Gratitude Preschool Theme
These gratitude theme lesson plans are great for preschoolers but also for kids of all ages. They might be designed for preschoolers, but so many of the included gratitude activities are great for toddlers, too. You read that right, you can tweak these lesson plans for toddlers, too!
Gratitude Literacy Activities for Preschoolers
A Heart Filled Treasure Hunt – Go on a heart treasure hunt. Find objects, natural or man-made that resemble a heart, look high and low! Perhaps the clouds? Or the bark of a tree? After your heart walk, cut out a large heart on construction paper and draw pictures and label all the things that fill your heart. This can be people, toys, places, traditions, foods, anything goes! Invite your preschooler to choose a person from their list. Invite them to write a thank you note to that person.
Thank You Notes – Get artsy and bring in all the paper supplies or a single piece of paper to make a lovely and thoughtful card for someone special. Teaching preschoolers to show thanks and share appreciation is a life skill that will benefit them their whole life through. Focus on encouraging pictures, using colors, and adding labels or simple sentences to share their ideas.
Gratitude Themed Picture Books for Preschoolers
These picture books are a great way to introduce gratitude to preschoolers! We hand-selected some of our favorite gratitude books so click each book cover for more details about each book.
- Ortego, Alicia (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 42 Pages – 07/07/2021 (Publication Date) – Independently published (Publisher)
- Koko, The Happy (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 33 Pages – 01/24/2022 (Publication Date) – Independently published (Publisher)
- Liu, Katrina (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 27 Pages – 10/19/2022 (Publication Date) – Lychee Press (Publisher)
- Hardcover Book
- Casey, Dawn (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Hardcover Book
- Spinelli, Eileen (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Winn, Melissa (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Hardcover Book
- Sorell, Traci (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Hardcover Book
- Vickers, Elaine (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Gratitude Math & Science Activities for Preschoolers
Gratitude Dice Game – In this gratitude game, players take turns rolling the die, then reading off the thing they are grateful for according to the chart on the printable. Simple and fun to play!
Gratitude Tower – Grab plenty of small paper cups and invite your preschooler to share things they are grateful for. Begin stacking the cups to create a tall tower, and invite your preschooler to find different ways to add to the tower. When it comes crashing down, start again! How many things were you able to show gratitude for?
Thankful Animals – Help the animals give thanks for their favorite things with this fun game and clip activity.
Playful Learning Activities for Preschool Gratitude Theme
Gratitude Scavenger Hunt – Set up a simple picnic and head to your favorite local park. Model saying something like, ” I am so grateful for these acorns because they feed the squirrels.” Can you find something to be grateful for? Include a nature journal or nature scavenger hunt for extra ideas!
Balloon Dance – Grab some balloons, blow them up, and toss them all around! Invite children to dance, throw, run, and play. Turn on some music and get moving!
Gratitude Lists – Make a list of random, everyday items around the house and challenge your preschooler to think of a reason why they are thankful for the specific item. Or create a gratitude journal and add to it daily!
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Product on sale* Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans BundleOriginal price was: $60.00.$22.00Current price is: $22.00.
Social Emotional Gratitude Activities for Preschoolers
Grateful Playtime Scenarios – Children learn through play, so modeling gratitude in pretend situations is a great way to practice appreciation and thankfulness. For example, if you are playing “birthday party,” make sure that each pretend toy says thank you for the piece of cake or a gift — and discuss how it feels when someone thinks of them.
Roses and Thorns Discussion – This activity encourages open communication and problem-solving support with young children. Model how to share your “Roses and Thorns.” Being grateful doesn’t mean that you can’t have moments that are hard! A balance is important and sometimes those hard moments can be lead to gratefulness. Even young children can talk about what went well (roses) and what was hard about each day (thorns). It provides each child, and the adult, a chance to vent a frustration and focus on what is good in life. This practice allows children to also open up up a thorn that perhaps an adult or parent can help guide through in a productive and helpful way.
Just Plain Fun Gratitude Activities for Preschoolers
Pinch Pots – Create these air-dry clay pinch pots and fill them with all your most treasured items. Express gratitude for each item that your are blessed to have! This gratitude preschool activity is a great way to talk and express emotions as you create the pinch pots and spend quality time together.
Gratitude Coloring Pages – Print and color these lovely gratitude coloring pages and share your colorful and personalized art with those you love! Share them with a big thank you and a few kind word for more kindness.
I am Berry Thankful – Go to Youtube and read Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson. After reading, work together to discuss all the things that Bear is thankful for. Why did his friends chip in to create a feast? Should Bear be grateful?
Get Online Preschool Activities About Gratitude
Online Story – Go to YouTube and listen to the book, The Thankful Book by Todd Parr. After reading this story, invite your preschooler to share what they are thankful for? Remind them that being thankful with small daily moments make us happier and more thoughtful kids and grown ups!
We’ve Got a Lot to Be Thankful For – This thankful song and video helps preschoolers learn to appreciate and show thanks for all of life’s amazing blessings.
Appreciation and Thankfulness Song – Jack Hartmann shares an important message of being grateful in this song.
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Product on sale* Learn At Home Preschool Lesson Plans BundleOriginal price was: $60.00.$22.00Current price is: $22.00.
Get Your Free Gratitude Preschool Lesson Plans Here!
Think these gratitude lesson plans for preschool are something your students’ parents might enjoy? It sure will make preschool at home a whole lot easier, I promise.
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.