Gratitude Activities for Middle School Students
If you're looking for free and editable Thanksgiving Gratitude Activities for Middle School, then keep reading below!
As speech pathologists working with students in grades 6 to 8, we have a chance to involve them in gratitude-focused activities during Thanksgiving in a fun way. Moreover, these gratitude activities for middle school students help improve their communication skills and add positivity to the speech room.
They also allow students to reflect on what they are thankful for, promoting a sense of community and connection.
In this blog post, we will explore creative ways to celebrate gratitude with middle schoolers using Canva templates.
Check out these amazing templates today to help students gain an “attitude of gratitude.
Gratitude Activities for Middle School
Middle schoolers are at a stage where they want to be independent and make their own decisions. However, they may feel different emotions, be influenced by their friends, or want to be accepted. It is also a great time when they are dealing with school and social changes, which can be difficult.
Therefore, engaging them in gratitude activities is an effective way to help them navigate these challenges. Encourage them to use this gratitude exercise to show appreciation and understand the concept of gratitude.
The activities I listed below include gratitude journals, thank-you notes, and creative projects like acrostic poems or gratitude collages.
Moreover, these projects allow them to express their feelings constructively to enhance their social skills and appreciate the kindness of others, and build strong relationships with peers and family.
Benefits of Gratitude Activities
Getting middle schoolers involved in Thanksgiving day gratitude activities helps them become more understanding and better at handling their emotions.
It allows them to think about the good things and feel thankful, even when things are hard.
That's why it's important to show them the power of gratitude!
Online Thanksgiving Activities for Middle School
This holiday season, you can also encourage your students to show gratitude with these fun activities available in Canva! Thankfully, these gratitude lessons are perfect for individual sessions or a small group.
These activities are a great way to help your students understand gratitude this November. Furthermore, they can also be used throughout the school year to help your students remember the good things in their lives.
When you have regular gratitude practice, your older students will feel less anxious and have fewer negative and powerful emotions.
Here are some more great ideas you can try with your students in the middle school classroom:
Gratitude Presentation
This presentation by my friend Vero will inspire your students to embrace a mindset of gratitude during the holiday season.
It starts with an introduction to the idea of gratitude and its significance in creating positive emotions and overall well-being.
If you like this presentation, then check it out in Canva today!
Thanksgiving Writing Activities for Middle School
For the most part, using writing prompts is a great way to encourage students to reflect on and express their appreciation for the things in their lives.
I have a gratitude workbook you can use with your upper elementary students this Thanksgiving to help them write about what they are grateful for. Make sure you add these activities to your lesson plan this week.
30-Day Gratitude Journal
This 30-day gratitude journal is designed to help students express daily gratitude.
Each day, students can record three things they are grateful for and reflect on why they appreciate those things. All they have to do is answer the question prompts.
Since this template is free and editable in Canva, you can modify the journal any way you want. Feel free to add different prompts or additional reflection sections.
This 30-day gratitude journal worksheet bundle is a useful tool for students to practice gratitude and promote positivity in their daily lives.
Your students reflect on specific moments of gratitude in their lives.
For instance, you can ask them to write about a time when they felt very grateful and explain why it was important.
Feel free to explore the details, emotions, and lessons you learned from that experience.
Gratitude Letters
Your students can write thank-you notes to people who have made a difference in their lives. It could be someone from their family, a teacher, a friend, or even someone from the community who helps others. This act not only shows gratitude but also teaches them the importance of recognizing and valuing others.This is a great way to improve their mental health while working on writing!
Or, you can ask students to write a gratitude letter to someone who has made a positive impact in their life.
It could be a family member, a teacher, a friend, or even a community member.
Encourage them to express their gratitude, share specific examples of why they are grateful, and describe how the person has influenced their life.
Gratitude Storytelling:
Ask students to write a short story that revolves around the theme of gratitude. They can create fictional characters who experience gratitude and weave a narrative that highlights the power of appreciation and its positive impact. Encourage them to explore different ways to resolve conflicts and make resolutions that center around gratitude.
Gratitude Poems:
Invite students to write gratitude poems or haikus. Encourage them to use poetic devices such as metaphors, similes, and vivid imagery to convey their appreciation. They can focus on a specific theme or person, evoking emotions and painting a picture with their words.
You can also check out this grateful worksheet.
It can help your students brainstorm all the things they are thankful for with every letter of the alphabet.
Overall, these writing prompts allow students to think about and creatively show their gratitude.
They help improve writing skills and also help students understand how expressing appreciation can make them feel better and build positive relationships.
Thanksgiving Reading Activities for Middle School
Gratitude Reading Comprehension Worksheet
This gratitude reading comprehension worksheet helps students learn about gratitude. It includes a short passage that explains the benefits of practicing gratitude, followed by questions to check if students understand the text.
This worksheet will help students improve their reading comprehension skills.
You'll also get worksheets that target understanding words based on context clues.
If your students need help answering inferencing questions (abstract question forms), then this reading comprehension worksheet is perfect.
Gratitude Infographic
This simple infographic shows your students some easy ways they can show gratitude at home and in the classroom.
Here are the main points from the infographic:
- Write a Note: Encourage students to write a note to someone at school who has helped them or made their day better. This can be a teacher, classmate, or staff member.
- Acknowledge Achievements: Remind students to recognize and celebrate their classmates' achievements, whether winning a game or doing well on a test. Celebrating others fosters a supportive environment and even brings about the health benefits of positive effects. and positive school environment.
- Listen Actively: Highlight the importance of listening to friends without distractions, such as not looking at their phones while someone is talking. This shows respect and genuine interest in what others are saying.
- Reflect on Gratitude: Thanksgiving is a time to pause and reflect on what students are thankful for, including friends and family. Encouraging this reflection helps students appreciate the people and things that bring positivity to their lives.
Gratitude Flashcards (True / False )
If you want simple gratitude activities in the classroom, then try these true and false flashcards! Cut out these flashcards and have your students pick a question out of a hat.
Each flashcard contains a statement related to Thanksgiving.
For example, “Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November.”
This helps students learn and remember key facts about the holiday. Your students have to decide if the statement is true or false!
Gratitude Activities for Elementary Students
If you also work with younger students in elementary school, these gratitude-themed activities will help your students express gratitude this Thanksgiving.
Gratitude Scavenger Hunt
Set up a scavenger hunt where they uncover things they're grateful for. Access this Canva template and download it as a PDF. Then, laminate for durability and cut out all the flashcards.
Hide all the pictures around your room.
Allow your students to walk around the room and search for the hidden pictures.
Encourage them to move around, explore different areas, and help each other if needed.
Once a student finds a picture, have them tell someone else why they are grateful for it.
For example, if a student finds a picture of a family, they might say, “I am grateful for my family because they support me.”
That way, you can target expressive language skills!
Gratitude Bingo Board
Who doesn't love a good game of bingo?
Your students can practice gratitude in a fun way by making their own bingo board using one of the included pictures.
You can then use the pictures as calling cards.
Have your students talk about each item they are grateful for and have them give examples of how they could show gratitude.
Ask students to describe how they are grateful for the item.
For instance, if the picture is of a friend, students might say, “I can show gratitude to my friend by helping them with their homework or by writing them a thank you note.”
This practice helps students think about practical ways to express gratitude in their lives.
Get this free bingo game today!
Gratitude Acrostic Poem
Begin by explaining what an acrostic poem is to your students. An acrostic poem uses the first letters of a word or phrase to start each line of the poem. The word or phrase is written vertically down the side of the page, and each line of the poem begins with the corresponding letter.
Encourage students to brainstorm words or phrases that represent things they are thankful for. This could include people, experiences, emotions, or objects that hold special meaning to them. You can have a speech room discussion or create a mind map on the board to help generate ideas.
Students should decorate their acrostic poems with drawings, stickers, or borders to make them visually appealing. If using Canva, then students can create digital versions of their acrostic poems with themed templates and design elements.
Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Middle School Students
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to teach students about gratitude and foster a sense of appreciation in the classroom.
If you're looking for engaging activities, then check out the wide range of free gratitude activities for middle school Canva templates that can be customized to fit your needs.
With a free Canva for Education account, you can easily access these templates and make them your own.
If you want to find out more about how to use Canva for Education, check out this blog post!
Free Gratitude Templates to Explore
These are just a few examples of the many gratitude activities you can use in Canva’s easy to use design space. Get creative, have fun, and watch your students develop a deeper sense of gratitude during this special time of year. Specifically, here are some more templates you can check out:
Gratitude Collage:
Engage your students' creativity by having them create gratitude collages using Canva's collage templates.
They can gather images, quotes, and symbols that represent things they are grateful for and arrange them in a visually appealing way.
Gratitude Jar
Help your students establish a gratitude practice by designing labels for gratitude jars. Your students can decorate these gratitude jars and write down things they are grateful for and collect them throughout the year.
The Gratitude Tree
This gratitude worksheet is a nice way to show appreciation and encourage giving thanks. By making a thankful tree and putting leaves with words of gratitude, it helps us remember the little things we are thankful for. Each leaf represents something special in life that brings happiness.
It is good practice to think about the tree regularly and add new leaves, so our gratitude can grow. You can use construction paper to create this tree.
Staff Gratitude Bingo by Teach Cheat
Want to get all the other teachers involved in your school in these gratitude activities for middle school? Then, this staff gratitude bingo board is the best way to do that. With this template, you can finally encourage other staff members to participate in a fun and interactive game that promotes friendship and recognition.
By involving everyone in the school, you'll create a positive and inclusive environment that celebrates the hard work and dedication of the staff.
Gratitude Activities for Families
If you also work with elementary school students, these activities are a great way to show appreciation!
Showing gratitude and appreciation should not only happen in the classroom. Encourage your students to think about the positive things in their lives and appreciate them beyond school. They need to recognize the people, experiences, and opportunities that have helped them grow and succeed.
Here are some meaningful and effective ways your students can practice gratitude at home:
Express gratitude through art:
Encourage your students to create artwork that expresses gratitude.
They can draw or paint things they are thankful for, or create a collage of images that represent what they appreciate in their lives.
Gratitude with Random Acts of Kindness
Your students could do nice things around the house, such as helping with chores, making a surprise breakfast for their family, or doing something kind for a sibling.
These acts not only spread positivity but also teach your students the importance of gratitude and how great it feels to feel another person.
Share gratitude during family time:
Encourage your students to share something they are thankful for during family time. This can be done during meals, before Thanksgiving dinner, or before bedtime. This creates a positive atmosphere and encourages everyone in the family to think about the good things in their lives.
Remember, being thankful is a strong habit that can improve your students' well-being and encourage a positive view on life.
So, it’s important that they show gratitude at home with their family.
Conclusion
Incorporating gratitude activities for middle school students can be a powerful tool in your speech room. When students use the practice of gratitude in daily life, it will make your speech room a place for positive thinking.
When you use these Canva templates, kids can create colorful and fun projects about gratitude. You can also use these templates with elementary or high school students.
Saying thank you and thinking about good things can make kids feel better and help them get along with others, so make sure to check out these gratitude activities for middle school today!
Try these activities and see how much more thankful and happy your students can be!