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Gratitude Activities for Kids: 10 Small Habits for Every Day
Ten gratitude activities for kids aged 3 to 8, from a ten-second question at the school gate to a family jar. No crafts needed.
The best gratitude activities for kids are small enough to happen every day: one good thing at the school gate, a round at teatime, three good things before lights out. Below are ten for children aged 3 to 8, sorted from ten seconds to ten minutes. Most need nothing more than a question, asked at a time you already have.
You know the moment: "What do you say?", and the thank you comes out as a mumble. The manners matter. This post is about the other half, noticing the good thing in the first place.
What is gratitude for kids?
Gratitude, for a young child, is noticing something good in their day and knowing that someone, or something, helped it happen. Saying thank you is the manners. Gratitude is the noticing underneath: the friend who shared, the dry walk to nursery, the hot dinner somebody made.
Gratitude isn't named in the early years curriculum in England. The nearest thing is one of the goals for the end of Reception in the EYFS statutory framework: children at the expected level "show sensitivity to their own and to others' needs". Spotting who helped you is a small, everyday version of that.
What you ask for changes with age. With a three-year-old, accept a pointed finger or a single word. By Year 1 or Year 2, ask for the who and the why as well: "Who made that good?"
How do you teach gratitude to young children?
Teach gratitude to young children by going first, being specific and attaching it to something that already happens every day. Tie thankful activities for kids to the walk home, tea or bedtime rather than starting a new project. Keep it short, never force it, and let pre-readers draw or say their answer.
- Go first. Say your good thing before you ask for theirs. The NHS's five steps to mental wellbeing, written for adults, list "saying thank you to someone for something they have done for you" as a small way of giving to others.
- Be specific. YoungMinds, the charity for young people's mental health, says in its self-esteem guide for parents that focusing on specific things you notice about your child is better than general praise like "good". That's about praise. The same idea works for thank you.
10 gratitude activities for kids, from ten seconds to ten minutes
These ten gratitude activities for kids run roughly from quickest to longest, and every one works with a three-year-old. Start with whichever fits a moment you already have tomorrow, such as the school run, tea or bedtime. There's no need to do them in order.
1. One good thing at the school gate
Swap "How was school?" for a question with a smaller answer. Say: "Tell me one good thing from today." Accept anything: the biscuit at snack time, a game in the playground, the painting in their book bag. Then tell them yours. It works from nursery up. If they're tired at the gate, ask again in the car or on the walk home.
Takes: ten seconds.
2. Thank you, because
Add the reason to every thank you you say. "Thank you for carrying that, it helped me." "Thank you for waiting while I finished my call." Do it yourself for a week before you ask anything of your child. Then try: "Who could you say thank you to, and what for?" It's the YoungMinds point about being specific, used for thanks instead of praise.
Takes: ten seconds.
3. Spot a helper
On the walk or drive home, play a quick game of who helped today. The lollipop person at the crossing, the lunchtime staff, the bus driver, whoever held the shop door. Say: "I spotted one. Can you spot one?" A three-year-old can point at the lollipop person. A seven-year-old can try to find someone the rest of the family missed.
Takes: ten seconds.
4. The teatime round
Everyone at the table says one thing, grown-ups first, and passing is allowed. Rotate these three gratitude questions for kids so it doesn't go stale:
- "What made you laugh today?"
- "Who was kind to you?"
- "What are you glad you tried?"
Keep the answers short and skip the lesson. One round, then carry on with tea.
Takes: a minute.
5. Three good things on the mat
This one is our own idea. At the end of the floor sequence on our Freedom Flow mat, lie on your backs, your child on the mat and you alongside it. One slow breath, one good thing, counted on a finger. Three breaths, three things. No mat? A rug works the same. New to the poses? Start with our guide to yoga for kids.
Takes: two minutes.
6. The thank-you breath
Think of one person who helped today. Breathe in slowly through your nose, and as you breathe out, whisper "thank you" to them, wherever they are. Do it three times, with a different person each time if your child likes. It fits a waiting room or a queue as well as the sofa. Our guide has more breathing exercises for children.
Takes: a minute.
7. The bedtime round
After the story, with the light off, ask: "What was the best bit of today, and who was in it?" The second half is the point, because it turns a nice moment into a person to thank. If you already do a bedtime yoga routine on the floor, make this the last thing you say before you leave the room.
Takes: two minutes.
8. A gratitude jar
A gratitude jar is a clean jam jar and a pile of paper slips. Whenever someone remembers, add one slip: a person, a place, something that happened or something good to eat. Pre-readers draw and you add a word underneath. Pick a day to read them all out, such as New Year's Eve or a grey Sunday in January. Some families call it a thankful jar.
Takes: ten minutes to make, then ten seconds a day.
9. A gratitude journal for kids
Keep one shared family notebook rather than one each, and fill a page together once a week. Children aged 3 to 5 draw. Six- to eight-year-olds write a line, and you date the page. Rotate three prompts:
- "Someone who helped me..."
- "Something I saw outside..."
- "Something I can do now that I couldn't before..."
Takes: ten minutes a week.
10. A thank-you card nobody expects
Make a card for someone who isn't expecting one: the postie, a teacher, a lunchtime supervisor, a grandparent. After birthdays and Christmas, do a thank-you drawing for each present, which is gratitude a grandparent actually gets to see. If your child's school holds a harvest festival, a card for whoever grows or delivers your food fits it well.
Takes: ten minutes.
Three gratitude routines for school days, bedtime and weekends
Attach two or three of the ten to parts of the day you already have, and the list becomes a routine. Here are three combinations for an ordinary week: one for school days, one for winding down and one for the weekend.
- The school day: one good thing at the gate (1), then the teatime round (4).
- The wind-down: a few floor poses, three good things on the mat (5), then the bedtime round (7).
- The weekend: the family journal on Sunday morning (9), then one slip in the jar (8).
Underneath all ten is the same skill, which is noticing. If that clicks with your child, our noticing activities for young children take it further. Gratitude is noticing what someone did for you. When your child is ready to be the one doing it, try these kindness activities to do together.
What if your child says "nothing"?
If your child says "nothing", say your own good thing and move on. Don't push for a better answer, and never make it the price of pudding. Next time ask for something smaller, or let them draw or point instead. Forcing the words gets you the words, not the noticing.
- Shrink the question. "Was lunch nice?" is easier to answer than "What are you grateful for?"
- Skip a night. A round missed on Tuesday is fine on Wednesday.
- Keep it apart from manners. "Say thank you to Grandma" teaches the words, which is worth doing. Asking what they liked about the present is a different question.
A week of "nothing" doesn't mean you're getting it wrong. Keep going first.
A place for three good things
None of these thankful activities for kids needs anything bought tonight. If you'd like the wind-down to have a home, Freedom Flow is our floor design: 15 numbered poses laser-engraved into the surface, so your child can follow them without a screen. At 183 x 61 cm it's full length, so there's room for you too.
Buying for a grandchild at Christmas? A mat they finish each session on with three good things is a present with a job to do long after Boxing Day. Here are more gift ideas that aren't another screen.
Each mat is £34.99 with free UK delivery, and there's 10 per cent off two or more. Roll one out and end on three good things: choose a colour from the Yogi-Me range.
Frequently asked questions
Why is gratitude important for kids?
Gratitude is the habit of noticing what went well and who helped, and that's a kind way for a child to look back on a day. It also sits naturally beside manners: thank you is the words, and gratitude is the noticing underneath. The NHS's five steps for adults list saying thank you as a small act of giving.
How do you teach gratitude to a 5-year-old?
Ask for one specific good thing at the same time each day, such as the walk home or tea, and go first. At five, ask for the who as well as the what: "Who made that good?" Let them draw it if they'd rather, and keep it to a minute. Saying your own thanks out loud, with the reason, does more than asking for theirs.
What do you put in a gratitude jar?
One slip at a time: a person, a place, something that happened or something good to eat. Write the date on the back. Pre-readers draw and you add a word. Read them all out on a day you choose, such as New Year's Eve, and keep the slips that made everyone laugh.
Are there printable gratitude activities for kids?
You don't need a download. Fold a sheet of A4 into three, write "three good things" at the top and stick it on the fridge. Your child draws or writes one thing in each section, and you start a fresh sheet each week. The old sheets make a good pile to look back through.
What questions can you ask kids about gratitude?
Small, specific ones work better than "What are you grateful for?" Try "What made you laugh today?", "Who was kind to you?", "What are you glad you tried?" or "What was the best bit of today, and who was in it?" Ask one, go first with your own answer, and stop there.
