We used to have this practice in our home.

When one of the kids was complaining a lot

I would stop them mid-whine and make them tell me three things for which they are
thankful. At their young ages, they usually recited, "Mommy, daddy, our house" and that
was fine with me because thankfulness begins in the simplest form.

We need to get back to this practice. Perhaps it's due to busyness or other stresses but
we've let this strategy fall by the wayside. There are times when I get caught in the trap
of excessive complaining myself and my husband often calls me on it. Stress may very
well be the greatest enemy of our thanks. But our children need to learn the practice of
gratitude, no matter what their circumstances, and we need to lead them.

In the midst of stress, disappointment, sadness or great joy, the Lord deserves the
pleasure of our gratitude. When we truly understand the magnitude of our blessed lives,
we can turn our complaints into thanksgiving.

3 Bible Stories That Teach Kids About Thankfulness

 

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and
lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." When he saw them he
said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were
cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising
God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he
was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?
Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" And he said
to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well." Luke 17:12-19 ESV

God deserves our thankfulness and we should tell him we are thankful. These ten
men came before Jesus with the hope of healing. All of them walked away cleansed but
only one turned back to praise God and thank Jesus for his healing. Jesus makes it a
point to call out the other nine to show the importance of our gratitude. Use this story to
share with your child that God is faithful to provide our needs as well as extra blessings.
He deserves to hear our thanksgiving often through praise and prayer. Consider making
it a daily activity at the dinner table or while driving in the car to list 3 things for which
they are thankful. Regularly expressing our thanks to the Father is one of our best
weapons against all of life's battles.

Related verse: Oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his steadfast love endures
forever. Psalm 107:1

 
The Psalms of David

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into
his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we
are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with
thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the
Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all
generations. Psalm 100:1-5 ESV

Gratitude is an attitude that comes out of the habit of giving thanks. All through the
Psalms, no matter what David was facing, we read his outpouring of gratitude to God.
As he encountered good times and bad times, David always turned back to the truth of
God's goodness. This attitude often carried him through the hardest of situations. Use
this example to teach your child that gratitude is a habit that is learned through practice.
Just as we teach little ones to say please and thank you through repetition and
relentless reminders, we learn to express our thanks to the Father through consistency.
Yet, while gratitude is a habitual attitude, we want our thanksgiving to come out of a
genuine heart. The more we meditate on God's goodness and practice our thanks no
matter what our circumstance, the more it will naturally flow out of a heart that loves
him.

Related verse: I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of
your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1

Paul's Thanksgiving for His Friends

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love
toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my
prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the
Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your
hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,
what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the
immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working
of his great might. Ephesians 1:15-19 ESV

It is good to express our thankfulness to others. The Bible instructs us to encourage

one another often. Paul, in his multiple letters to the churches he was leading, always
reminds his friends how thankful he is for them. Usually, following his words of thanks
are words of encouragement to help build them up. Thanks and giving go hand in hand.
Use this passage to encourage your child to use words of thanksgiving and
encouragement with their friends and loved ones. God can use us to share his love with
others by simply sharing words of gratitude and support.

Related verse: Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you
are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

 What stories or truths have you used to teach your children about thankfulness? We'd
love to hear about them on our JellyTelly Facebook Page.