Help Kids Give Thanks | Sunday School Solutions

By Jenna Weis

What’s the key to a great Thanksgiving dinner? The turKEY. What’s the key to a great Thanksgiving themed Sunday school class? There’s more than one. Here are a few key ideas to make your Thanksgiving Sunday school class stuffed with fun.

Let’s talk about crafts. Kids love having the opportunity to get creative, and crafts are a great opportunity for you to help reinforce the truths they have learned in Sunday school. One craft you can do is a classic paper bag turkey. On the feathers of the turkey, have the children write some things they are thankful for. After they’ve finished their craft, take some time to let the children say a thank you prayer to God for the things that are on the feathers to remind them that all these great things come from God.

 . . . crafts are a great opportunity for you to help reinforce the truths they have learned in Sunday school.

Another easy idea for younger children is to give the children coloring pages of an empty cornucopia and have them draw in things they’re thankful for. As the kids are coloring, use the opportunity to talk to them about how they can be thankful for these things all year round, not just during Thanksgiving. You can find free coloring pages like this online. Check out Pinterest for more coloring pages and ideas; it’ll become your best friend. Not sure where to start? Check out the links at the bottom of this article for some great starting points.

You can even use games in Sunday school to teach the kids about thankfulness. An easy one you can use in any classroom is a Thanksgiving round of Hot Potato. Have the kids pass around a bean bag “hot potato” while you play some music in the background. When the music stops, the kid holding the “potato” shares something he’s thankful for. To help get the game rolling, you can also have categories to help the kids narrow it down. For example, you can tell them to share a food they’re thankful for in one round and an animal in another.

You can even use games in Sunday school to teach the kids about thankfulness. 

Another game you can play is a Thanksgiving twist on Hot and Cold. For this game, you will want to have a visual of a memory verse about thankfulness and a small toy such as an action figure or a beanbag for the kids to hide. Have one child stand behind the teacher, facing the wall with their eyes closed. Next, have another child hide the toy in the room. Instead of saying hot or cold as the first child tries to find the toy, have the children recite a memory verse about thankfulness louder when they’re “hot” and softer when they’re “cold.”  You could use verses like Psalm 107:1, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Or 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

These activities are great tools to teach the children in your Sunday School how they can have a thankful heart all year round.

Other Online Ideas:

The Gratitude Game: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/526076800222794852/

The Gratitude Game M&M’s edition: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/410672059768810888/

Thanksgiving Gratitude Pumpkin: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/95771929559826667/

Psalm 136:1 Coloring Page: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/442408363379113719/