Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving Psalm

(This is another lesson from Here a Little, There a Little,.  It was designed to spend a week memorizing the Psalm and reinforcing it through 5 activities.)

 

Thanksgiving

Help your child memorize Psalm 100 by finding pictures to illustrate the verses.

Psalm 100:1-5

 

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness: 

Come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;

We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,and into his courts with praise: 

Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

 

 

Prayer: Thank you for all you have given us and all you do for us.  Help us to always have a grateful attitude toward You and others.


Activities for younger preschooler:

Laugh and sing a lot

Sing and smile while changing his diaper or dressing him and talk about being happy to serve him.

Show a picture of sheep – let him feel wool.  Talk about being God’s lamb that He takes care of.

Take a day and give thanks for every little thing: toothbrush, clean sheets, water, soap, diapers, etc.

Start a thank you box of pictures of things to be thankful for.  Show them as you say, “Thank you God for ______”

Activities for older preschoolers:

Laugh and sing a lot

Talk about the fact that serving God is really serving others.  Do an act of service with a cheerful spirit. (rake leaves, bake and share cookies, or simply tie his shoe and talk about how you are happy to serve him.)

Find a picture of a sheep, mount it on cardboard, then cut it into a puzzle.  Talk about how we belong to God and He cares for us as the shepherd cares for his sheep.

Take a day and give thanks for every little thing: toothbrush, clean sheets, water, soap, crayons, etc.

Make a thank you box by filling a box with pictures of things and people to be thankful for.  Each night let him pull out a few and lead him to tell God thank you.

Songs:
see and hear these at http://www.trainupthechild.org/2010/11/09/keeping-thanks-in-thanksgiving-songs/

We Are Thankful (tune of Are You Sleeping)

We’re Glad Today

We’ve Got So Much

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Keeping Thanks in Thanksgiving – Songs

Psalm 100 says to enter God’s presence with thanksgiving and singing.  Here are some easy songs for children to to do just that:

Click on this link SoMuch to hear a fun, thankful song that the children love.   I couldn’t remember exactly how it went so I called our good friend and minister of music, Scott Eaton, and got him to sing it over the phone.  Start with your hands together and as you sing the song pull them further and further apart until your arms are wide open.  Bring your hands back together in a big clap before the last phrase.

You can sing this next song to  the tune of :”Frere Jacques” also known as “Are You Sleeping?”  Sing it with hands folded in prayer and head bowed:

We are thankful
We are thankful
Yes we are
Yes we are
Thankful for our food
Thankful for our family
Give God thanks
Give God thanks

Here’s another easy song:

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Thanksgiving ideas – Excerpt from Here A Little, There A Little

Here a Little, There a Little is a compilation of  Bible activities I created years ago to use with my preschool children.  It was designed to spend a week memorizing the verse and reinforcing it through 5 Bible lessons and 5 activities.  I hope you find this helpful.

Memory Verse:   In everything give thanks.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Character Quality – Contentment

Bible Thoughts: (Read  and then tell  in your own words)

Hebrews 1:15 God wants us to give Him thanks more than anything.  He would rather us tell Him “thank you” than to give Him money.  He would rather us tell Him “thank you” than give Him presents.  God likes to hear “thank you”.

Psalm 119:1 David thanked God for everything God did.  He thanked him for the good things.  He even thanked God for the bad things that happened.  David thanked God even when he was hurt because it helped him to learn God’s Word.  The bad things that happen to us can help us learn more about God when we go through the hurtful things. God wants us to thank Him when good things happen and not so good things happen.

John 6:1-13 One day Jesus was teaching a lot of people and they were all hungry.  Jesus took what food was given to him by a little boy and thanked God for the food.  God made enough food from that to feed all the people.  Jesus gave thanks for His food and so should we.

Luke 17:19 One day 10 sick men came to see Jesus.  They asked Jesus to help make them well.  He told them how to be healed.  When they obeyed him, they were healed.  All 10 were healed but only 1 came back to thank Jesus.

Psalm 139:14 David thanked God for making him.  He said, “I will thank God for making me wonderfully”  David thanked God for making all of his body – eyes, nose, mouth,  ears, hands, feet, stomach, etc.  Thank God for making all of you.

Prayer: Dear God, Help us focus on the things we do have and not on the things we don’t have.

Activities for baby:
Thank God for someone special; show picture of them.
Pull pictures of things out of ‘thank you box’.
Show familiar objects while you say “thank you, God for…”
Sing “In Everything Give Thanks”.
Play with hands, feet, etc while you say “thank you, God for…”

Activities for older preschoolers:
Thank God for someone special and make a card for them.
Look for pictures of things to be thankful for and put in a ‘thank you box’.
Paste picture of foods (favorite and not so favorite) on a paper plate and write the Bible verse on it.
Make paper cut outs of the 10 sick men and act out the story.
Play ball together and thank God for each part of the body as you use them.

Songs: “In Everything Give Thanks” (be creative and put the verse to a simple tune)

Books:

The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes

He Remembered to Say Thank You (Arch Books)

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