Why should we use children’s books about gratitude during this time of year? Well, did you know that studies have shown that practicing gratitude actually improves happiness?
But how do you explain gratitude to a child? Using children’s books about gratitude helps students understand the concept in a full and clear way. Emphasizing gratitude is also the perfect way to celebrate Thanksgiving in the classroom. I’m sharing my top 10 Thanksgiving children’s books and gratitude children’s books for your to use with your students this year!
Read on for the 10 children’s books about gratitude that are perfect for November!
Children’s Books About Gratitude
These children’s books about gratitude are my favorite children’s books for thanksgiving. They are perfect to use with your classroom activities for Thanksgiving. These read alouds will help your students understand the real meaning of Thanksgiving, and they will help explain gratitude for children in a clear way.
I’ve divided these children’s books about gratitude into categories, so that you can better choose what would work best for your students. The categories are:
- Gratitude Books About Family
- Gratitude Books About the Earth
- Gratitude Books From Native American Authors
Gratitude Books About Family
Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together to give thanks. It’s wonderful for students to have the opportunity to reflect on the people in their family that they are grateful for. These children’s books about gratitude provide examples for students to help them think more deeply about this gratitude.
The Thank You Book
A Piggie and Gerald book about thanking the people in your life that you are grateful for. This is a sweet read for our younger readers. This gratitude read aloud helps students think about the different people in their lives that are meaningful to them. You could pair this book with a fun thank you card craft!
I Am Thankful
This story shows families celebrating Thanksgiving in different ways. Each family expresses gratitude and generosity during the Thanksgiving time. This Thanksgiving read aloud emphasizes family appreciation during this time of year. But it also shows students in a lovely way that different families can celebrate in different ways.
Gracias/Thanks
This is a fun rhyming gratitude children’s book about a boy who expresses gratitude. Another children’s book about gratitude that emphasizes being thankful for our family. I love that this book is also in Spanish – it’s always so fun for students to see words in another language, whether or not they speak that language themselves.
Gratitude Books About the Earth
When talking about gratitude in the classroom, it’s an opportunity to include discussions about nature and the earth. We can help our students be aware of the amazing gifts that we get from our earth, which can help foster a sense of responsibility for protecting it. These children’s books about gratitude spotlight the earth and its many gifts to us.
Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message
This Thanksgiving children’s book is made up of a beautiful morning poem of gratitude. Written by the Six Nations People, this poem reminds us to stop and appreciate the many gifts of the earth. It’s always a good time to stop and appreciate nature, but Thanksgiving presents a special opportunity. You could pair this with a Thanksgiving craft about being grateful for the earth.
Sweetest Kulu
A mother tells a newborn about all the gifts he has received from the earth. This sweet gratitude read aloud helps remind students of all the pieces of the earth we can be grateful for. We often don’t think about these things, and this book brings forward many important ideas.
Sharing Our World
A book celebrating the many creatures of nature and Earth. Your students will love thinking about all the wonderful animals in the world that they are grateful for. This book will especially connect with students who love animals.
We Are Water Protectors
This book celebrates the great gift of water, and it teaches about how some Native American tribes have played a key role in fighting to protect the environment. Many students don’t know this story, and they will love learning about how the Native Americans had to stand up for what they believed in to help protect the earth.
Gratitude Books By Native American Authors
November is Native American heritage month, so I love featuring books by Native Americans at this time of year. There are wonderful authors of Native American heritage that offer an important perspective that is often missed by other authors. These gratitude read alouds are some of my favorites.
My Heart Fills With Happiness
A child stops to appreciate the little things throughout the day that make them happy. This is a great children’s book for Thanksgiving time. I love that it talks about the little things, showing that we don’t have to be grateful for just the big things in our lives.
Go Show The World
This books showcases historical figures with Native American heritage. There are so few books like this, and it’s wonderful to be able to share stories of these heroes with students. Plus, the stories of each person are incredibly inspiring. This is one of my favorites for Native American Heritage Month.
We Are Grateful
A story of a Cherokee community celebrating the things they are thankful for. This story goes through the different times of year, showing the various things that the community gives thanks for. Also, it includes Cherokee words throughout the story that students will love to learn and practice.
Thanksgiving Children’s Books
Focusing on gratitude during this season is so helpful for students. For too long, there have been unhelpful and often untruthful representations of pilgrims and Native Americans feasting happily together. Whatever your views on the subject may be, I think we can all agree that focusing on thankfulness and gratitude is a positive choice.
I hope these children’s books about gratitude make it easy to talk about these topics with your students this Thanksgiving season!
How do you celebrate gratitude in the classroom? Let me know in the comments! xoxo Laura
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