Our celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday this month can be a reminder and impetus to teach our children the important character quality of thankfulness.

Thankfulness is an attitude – even a worldview.  If your child adopts a grateful mindset and maintains it throughout his life, it will contribute to his:

•  Relationships with the Lord and others.

•  Happiness; causing him to be content with what he has, and not complain about what he doesn't have.

A life of thankfulness is a life of joy!

May the Lord bless your family for His glory.

Thankfulness, or gratitude, belongs to a group of the following related character qualities:

"Choosing to be satisfied and at peace with what God has provided, without complaining."

Related Character Qualities: Cheerfulness, Hope, Peace.

"Recognizing, appreciating, and acknowledging favors or benefits."

Related Character Qualities: Appreciation, Gratefulness, Thankfulness.

Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.  (Eph. 5:20)

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, . . . overflowing with gratitude.  (Col. 2:6-7)

In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  (I Thess. 5:18)

"Delighting in the service and presence of God regardless of circumstances."

Related Character Qualities: Zeal, Enthusiasm, Heartiness, Eagerness.

Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing.  (Psalm 100:2)

Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.  (Rom. 12:11)

My soul shall rejoice in the Lord.  (Psalm 35:9)

Thankfulness needs to be taught.  It does not come naturally to fallen human beings.

Start by explaining the following to your children.  This provides direction and motivation for your study of this topic.

• What gratitude or thankfulness is and how and why it is a part of the character quality of Joy (see below).

• Why it pleases and honors God.

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.  (Hebrews 13:15)

• How it will make them, and those around them, joyful.

You might want to do this during your regular daily Bible class and/or devotional time.  Depending on the time you want to take and the age of your children, address all four qualities of joy (see above) at once, or just one or two each day.

• Read and discuss the material presented above on Joy.

• Look up and read the scriptures suggested for each characteristic.  Using a concordance, look up other references.

• God commands us to be thankful.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.  (Colossians 3:15)

• Consider the results of unthankfulness in Romans 1:21:

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Memorize, review, and meditate on specific verses or passages related to thankfulness.  See those given above or use those selected from your own study.

Throughout the day there are a multitude of opportunities for your children to hear you say aloud, "Thank you, Lord, for . . ." or for you to talk about something for which you are thankful.

Our father taught us the "to be thankful, you must be thoughtful."  It is easy to take for granted the many gifts that God has given to us unless we stop and think about them.

One way to think about your own blessings is to consider those who have less, as articulated in the proverb: "I complained because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet."

In America today we can find many people that have more than we do.  This tends to make us and our children discontent.  (In fact, the secular media's featuring of the rich and famous, combined with commercials that are intended to make you crave more, is a good reason to turn off your TV.)

On the other hand, your family can find those around you that have less than you do in terms of physical, family, and spiritual blessings.  Looking farther from home to the poor worldwide can show us the relative luxuries even the poorest of us possess.

• Besides providing a reminder to be thankful, let these examples prompt a practical compassion in your family as you find ways to share your blessings.

• The best blessing you can share is the good news of God's love and forgiveness.

• Especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas and as the weather gets colder, rescue missions (see a national directory) appreciate gifts that enable them to provide meals and/or beds for the homeless.

• Your family might consider contributing to HSLDA's Home School Foundation, which provides assistance to homeschool families and widows in need; or Samaritan's Purse (supplies aid to the poor, sick, and suffering with food, medicine, and other assistance).

• Look for someone in your church that doesn't have family nearby and invite them to share your Thanksgiving feast or other meals with you.

The example of looking at a glass of water as being either half empty or half full illustrates the two ways that we can view our lives.  Teach your children:

• Instead of dwelling on your problems, look at your blessings and thank the Lord for them.

• Instead of looking at how bad a situation is, look at how much worse it could have been and thank the Lord it wasn't.

The most powerful influence on your child's character is example – for better or worse.  You can help your child by providing good examples of thankfulness and avoiding or pointing out examples of unthankfulness.

The example you set is primary.  As your children observe you being thankful throughout the ups and downs of your life, they will be more likely to become thankful themselves.

Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals.  (I Cor. 15:33)

• Television.  Children who watch a lot of commercials on TV, especially at this season of the year, will probably develop intense desires for things they do not have, rather than being thankful for what they do have.

• Friends.  Like-minded friends who show a spirit of thankfulness can be a positive influence on your children.

God has given us many examples in Scripture of right behavior for our edification and of wrong behavior for our warning.

• David is the most prominent example; he wrote hundreds of verses in the Psalms that show forth his thankful heart.

• Job, in the midst of his loss and misery, and Paul and Silas in prison, are prime examples of praise and thankfulness amid suffering.

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.  (Acts 16:25)

Look for and comment on examples of contentment, gratitude, and joyfulness (or their opposites) in your children's and your family's reading.

• Family Read-Aloud Time

  Spend time reading uplifting literature aloud as a family on a regular basis. (See the Pollyanna series below for free ebook and audio book.)

• Include Evaluation

  Follow your reading with a discussion of the character qualities displayed or other spiritual principles.

Help your children establish and maintain the habit of thankfulness.

If your children assume that they "deserve" certain things, they will not be thankful for them.

• Help your children understand our dependency upon God for everything we are and have.

For in Him we live and move and exist. (Acts 17:28)

• Teach your children what God says about being content with only food and covering.

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.  (I Timothy 6:6, 8)

• Explain that anything God or others do for us, or give us, is an occasion for our thankfulness.

Include thankfulness in the basic rules of courtesy that you set for your family.

• Teaching your young child to say "Please" and "Thank You" whenever he asks for, or is given, anything is a practical way to teach him to be thankful and to show it.

• Start by saying it for him at appropriate times, even before he can talk.

• A gentle reminder and later (or for older children) a pause while waiting for them to say "please" or "thank you," if consistent, will help establish the habit.

• You might review this rule with your older children to good advantage as well.

• Make sure your children thank others outside your home when they are given something, are wished something (e.g., "Happy Birthday" or "Have a good day"), or have a service performed such as opening a door or being served a meal.

• Discuss good examples of thankfulness, such as how good it makes you feel to receive a prompt and handwritten Thank You card from a friend.

• Have your child keep a Thankful Diary in which he writes all the things he is thankful for and checks off those for which he has expressed thanks.

• Hold hands around the dinner table and quote a verse and sing an appropriate hymn or chorus of praise and thanks.

When growing up, our family held hands and sang "Thank You, Lord" before prayer at dinner every day.

There are many people in our lives to whom we owe our gratitude.

Model and teach your children the habit of noticing, appreciating, and thanking family members.  Not only is this right and proper, but it also motivates good behavior and a pleasant atmosphere.

• Thank the cook after each meal and the person who does the laundry for clean clothes.

• Thank children for doing their chores, for being kind to each other, for going beyond their assigned duties, etc.

• Thank Dad each night for working for the family.

Besides spoken thanks, surprise one another with a note of thanks in Dad's lunch or under your child's pillows, etc.

These are those who love us and our family, encourage us, stand by us, and help us.  We might be tempted to take our friends for granted, but how it warms the heart to receive a note like:

"Thank you for all your love, support, and friendship over the years.  Your family means so much to our family.  One of God's greatest blessings is having friends like you!"

• Remember, too, your Pastor and fellow Church members.

One church that we attended provided space on an attendance card in which to write a note of appreciation to a fellow church member.  Then the notes were placed in the offering plate and mailed to the recipient during the week.

Even though the mailman, garbage collector, and newspaper carrier are paid for their service, they deserve and appreciate thanks.  This is why many people give them a small gift at Christmas.

• Include an attractive tract to enrich your gift with God's offer of eternal life.

• Remember also statesmen, authors, and teachers.

You may realize that a teacher, pastor, neighbor, or friend you haven't seen for years has contributed something significant and important to your life.  Wouldn't they love to hear that you remember them with thankfulness?

Truly, a life of thankfulness is a life of joy!

There are many ways to express your thanks to others:

•   A phone call or a personal visit

•   Thoughtful gifts and service

•   Letters, notes, and cards

A thank-you note is a very important expression of gratitude after you have been a guest at someone's house for dinner or overnight, received a gift, or been treated with special kindness and generosity.

•   Part of the value of a thank-you note is that it is received soon after the gift or service.

•   Procrastination often leads to an embarrassing lapse of time that can discourage you from writing at all.

•   Choose a nice card or stationary.  You can buy a preprinted Thank-You card (see Christian thank you cards), or make your own.

•   See how to make cards using many techniques and materials.

•   Keep a supply of cards or stationary on hand so that you are prepared to send a thank you immediately.

•   Always use a pen (not a pencil).  Your child may need to first write out his message on plain paper and then copy it into the card.

•   Mention the gift or service by name when thanking the sender.

•   Say why you like the gift and what you plan to do with it or how you will enjoy it.

•   If you enjoyed someone's hospitality, tell them something specific that you appreciated.

•   Follow through with putting an address and stamp on your note or letter and putting it in the mail.

•   Keep stamps on hand to encourage card and letter writing.

Read article at emilypost.com, "Mom, Let's Write Thank-You Notes!" with specific ideas for different age groups.

"The grateful Pilgrims declared a three-day feast, starting on December 13, 1621, to thank God and to celebrate with their Indian friends.

"While this was not the first Thanksgiving in America (thanksgiving services were held in Virginia as early as 1607), it was America's first Thanksgiving Festival." Read more about the origin of America's annual Thanksgiving Day.

"The tradition of Thanksgiving as a time to focus on God and His blessings dates back almost four centuries in America.

"While such celebrations occurred at Cape Henry Virginia as early as 1607, it is from the Pilgrims that we derive the current tradition of Thanksgiving."

Read more and order beautiful Thanksgiving tracts and poster to encourage others to keep God at the center of our Thanksgiving celebration.

  • George Washington's 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation, which begins, "Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor . . ."

  • Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Proclamation of Thanksgiving. "This proclamation was celebrated shortly after Lincoln committed his life to Christ and was celebrated while America was still in the midst of its Civil War.  It was this proclamation which eventually led to the establishment of our national Thanksgiving holiday."

See links to all Thanksgiving Day Proclamations 1789-present.

•  Thanksgiving Unit Study. Learning activities, plus printable notebooking and lapbooking pages. 56 pages.

•  Thanksgiving Planner. Printable planning pages, plus tips for a stress-free celebration, recipes, decorations, activities, and "Counting Your Blessings with Corn Kernels (see page 49)." 60 pages.

•  Thanksgiving Holiday Helper. Picture study, copywork, stories, and poems from Sheila Carroll, Living Books Curriculum. 22 pages.

•  Pilgrim/Thanksgiving Unit Study. Includes Internet resources, book recommendations, hands-on activities, art projects, crafts, recipes, games, music, and printable worksheets.

•  Thanksgiving Unit Study Ideas. Includes the Pilgrims, religious liberty, journaling activities, map skills, creative play, Mayflower, Plymouth, Native Americans, crafts, food, and hymns.

•  Thanksgiving from How To Homeschool for Free. Includes the Pilgrims (before America, Smithsonian's Plimoth Plantation, more), The Mayflower, The first Thanksgiving, activities, and games.

•  Thanksgiving writing prompts and activities from Alpha Omega Publications. 25+ Ideas.

•  Annie's Thanksgiving Home Page. Arts, crafts, activities, history of Thanks- giving, plus related links. Christian.

•  Pollyanna is the story of girl who always tries to find something to be glad (thankful) about in every situation, by Eleanor H. Porter. Read e-book or listen to audiobook (see more ebook formats at the bottom of page). Also the sequel, Pollyanna Grows Up, audio and ebook.

•  An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott. 234-page ebook. Story of an 1820s Thanksgiving filled with warmth of character and family life. When Grandma gets sick, Mr. and Mrs. Bassett hurry off to tend to her, leaving their seven children to prepare for Thanksgiving on their own. Audiobook with 12 cast members.

•  Mary of Plymouth. 157 page ebook. This book follows the life of a young girl who arrives with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower and shares in their difficulties and adventures. More formats (including HTML online and Kindle. Get free reading apps for Kindle on tablet, smartphone, or computer at Amazon.com.)

•  Pilgrims with links to more information

•  Read the only two primary sources for the first Thanksgiving:  Edward Winslow writing in Mourt's Relation and William Bradford writing in Of Plymouth Plantation

•  Everything Thanksgiving from Martha Stewart. Includes recipes, cooking how-tos, menus, decor, and even leftovers.

•  Printable Gratitude Journal for Children. (Hat tip to Home Educators Association of Virginia.)

•  See The Teaching Home's Thanksgiving Pinterest page for 65 projects and printables.

•  "Organizing for Thanksgiving," article by Florence Feldman. Take advantage of your special motivation and trash the clutter, and then enjoy a relaxed day with family and friends!