Teaching gratitude to preschoolers helps them develop empathy, kindness, and appreciation for the people and things around them. Any time of the year is great to teach gratitude, but around Thanksgiving, gives the perfect opportunity for families and teachers to help children practice thankfulness through everyday experiences.
Gratitude helps young children build strong social and emotional foundations. When preschoolers learn to express thanks, they develop empathy, patience, and a positive attitude toward others.
In early learning programs, such as those in Potomac, teachers often integrate gratitude lessons into circle time or classroom routines. Children practice noticing acts of kindness, sharing with peers, and recognizing that others’ actions make them feel happy or supported.
Developing gratitude at an early age helps children:
For more on developing emotional awareness, see our post on Building Emotional Vocabulary in Preschoolers Through Everyday Moments.
Parents play a key role in helping children connect thankfulness to real-life experiences. Gratitude grows through repetition and everyday routines, not formal lessons.
Here are a few ways to begin teaching gratitude to preschoolers at home:
1. Model Thankfulness Daily
Let your child see you say “thank you” to others often such as during meals, errands, or playtime. Kids learn most from what they observe.
2. Start a Family Gratitude Ritual
During dinner or bedtime, ask everyone to share one thing they are thankful for. Younger children can use drawings or simple words to express their thoughts.
3. Write or Draw Thank-You Notes
Encourage your child to make cards or drawings for teachers, friends, or family members who have done something kind.
4. Use Books to Spark Conversation
Picture books about kindness and gratitude can help toddlers connect feelings and actions. Pause to ask: “How does this character show that they are grateful?”
5. Acknowledge Acts of Kindness
When your child shares a toy or helps someone, highlight it: “That was thoughtful, you made your friend smile.”
At Potomac preschools and early learning centers, teachers use similar approaches, weaving gratitude into group play and storytelling to reinforce emotional growth.
Learning gratitude can be creative and fun! Here are a few engaging gratitude activities for kids that fit the season:
Gratitude Tree: Have children attach paper leaves to a small branch, each leaf naming something or someone they’re thankful for. Younger children can further participate by coloring the leaves.
Kindness Jar: Each time your child does something kind, add a pom-pom, marble, or penny to a jar to visually represent acts of gratitude.
Thankful Collage: Cut out pictures from magazines or draw pictures that show things your family appreciates: friends, food, nature, and create a group art piece.
Photo Journal: Take pictures of people and places your child feels thankful for and review them together.
These activities work beautifully in both home and classroom environments, encouraging preschoolers to notice goodness in everyday life.
For more gratitude themed activities, see: Gratitude Crafts for Kids: Simple Thanksgiving Projects.
November is the perfect time to begin teaching gratitude to preschoolers, but any time is a great time because the benefits last all year long. By creating consistent opportunities to notice, name, and appreciate acts of kindness, parents and teachers nurture children who are empathetic, caring, and grounded.
Start small: share daily thank-yous, read books about kindness, and celebrate the people who make your child’s world brighter. Gratitude grows best when it’s modeled, practiced, and celebrated together.
For more fall themed teaching moments and activities, visit our posts:
MCCA has been recognized by the Maryland State Legislature for its commitment to Montgomery County issued a quality programs and special needs child care Proclamation in 2016 to MCCA for its commitment to Montgomery County child care for more than 50 years. MCCA was also selected as a 2018 nonprofit finalist for a MOXIE Award for boldness and innovation
MCCA is the oldest nonprofit licensed child care provider in Montgomery County and started its work in 1968 as a Community Action Project of the War on Poverty. Recognizing the need for quality child care programs in their neighborhoods, a group of local activists formed an association to establish centers in Montgomery County that would serve a diverse population and establish high standards for child care. Now, more than 50 years later, MCCA’s dedicated and expertly trained staff continue their tradition of providing high quality child care and play-based education for children.
Families with school aged children who can afford their child care expenses during the school year often struggle to afford the all-day programs they need when school is out for the summer. The Richard Krampf Summer Adventures Scholarship Fund was established to help provide children a safe and stimulating place to spend their weeks when school is out. Please contact an MCCA Director for details on how to apply.
