Gratitude in the Classroom

TL;DR:

Make gratitude in the classroom a part of your daily routine.
Implement a Friendsgiving Gratitude Circle to build classroom community.
Show gratitude in the classroom on Veteran’s Day, at the end of the year, and in your school community.

Gratitude is defined as “the state of being grateful” (Merriam-Webster).

There was a study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies in 2019 that found that teaching children to be grateful at an early age can help them grow up to be happier people. Another study in 2008 from the Journal of School Psychology showed that grateful children were more positive, happier, and have better relationships.

A few years ago, I decided to take what I learned about gratitude into my classroom. I wanted to share what was happening to me with my students by letting them experience the power of gratitude and the ripple effect that it can create. I wanted them to feel joy that can develop when we spend time thinking about and recognizing what we are grateful for.

How can we incorporate gratitude into the classroom?

We can make it part of our daily routine. When our students enter the classroom, having them think about and write down something that they are grateful for creates intentionality and mindfulness of the good things that are around them. It establishes a positive mindset that tends to motivate them to want to do more and be more. They become aware of what is around them and they begin to want to do good for others. It causes them to think beyond themselves. It creates a ripple effect of goodness and kindness that permeates the room.

All of these examples are powerful and intentional ways to express gratitude. They teach our students to recognize others and celebrate them. It opens their eyes to the idea that there is always good to be found in the world. Click To Tweet

As we are getting closer to Thanksgiving, it is a good time to implement this practice. They can make the connection to Thanksgiving and the power of what it means to be grateful.

I usually begin by implementing this gratitude practice into my morning meetings. When my students enter the class, they write down one thing that they are grateful for and they drop it in our classroom gratitude box. The leader of the day picks out a few to read. Once we begin to do this, the students start to think more about what they are grateful for and it gathers more meaning. They stop writing out of duty, but they begin to write because it starts to mean something to them. When they listen to what their classmates are grateful for, they start to see that there is a lot to be thankful for. This, in turn, brightens more spirits and develops more smiling faces. It then starts to spread.

Friendsgiving Gratitude Circle

I also have each student pick a name from a basket. They are to keep this name a secret. Then they are assigned the job of figuring out how they will show gratitude to this person at our classroom’s Friendsgiving. They have a few weeks to prepare their gift.

At this classroom celebration, we gather around in a circle and one student begins the gratitude circle by sharing why they are grateful for the person whom they made a gift for, and then they present them with their gift. The recipient of that gift then shows gratitude for the person whom they picked and gives them their gift. This cycle continues until all students have shared.

This event ends up being a powerful experience for the students. They learn some valuable lessons on how to spread kindness, gratitude, and celebration. It leaves each child feeling valued and honored. It can change the dynamics of the classroom and develop a positive light within each student.

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Other Ways to Show Gratitude in the Classroom

Veterans Day in November: Students write and send letters of gratitude to Veterans.
Gratitude Celebration at the end of the year: Students choose one person in their life whom they want to thank. When I did this, I turned it into a writing project and they wrote detailed letters that explained to the recipient why they were so grateful for them. They then invite that person to our end-of-year celebration where they read the letter to that individual. If their guest can not attend, then we try to reach them by phone.
Gratitude in the school community: I separate the students into groups and assign them a group of people at our school: Cafeteria Staff, Office Staff, Principal, Counselor, Kids’ Club Staff, and Recreation Staff. Their task is to make them a poster expressing gratitude. We present them with the poster and a bucket of snacks.

See the full “Whoa-vember: A Month to Celebrate” blog series here!

About Bridget Gengler

Bridget Gengler is a fourth grade teacher in Long Beach, California. She has taught bilingual education, general education, and GATE for the past 26 years. She’s passionate about building relationships and a strong classroom community that opens up doors of success for her students. She strives to empower all students to share their voices and their stories. Her class motto is “ You matter! You are important! You have a story to tell and we want to hear it!” She brings her love of reading and writing to the classroom in the hopes that it will promote lifelong readers and writers.

Bridget believes that self-care is essential in an educator’s life. She takes time to focus on gratitude, mindfulness and kindness during the day. She contributes this balance to her success in the classroom.

Family is number one for her! Her most precious job is being a mom to four young adults, an energetic lab puppy, and a wife to a wonderful husband. When she is not teaching, writing or reading she is creating memories with them. They love to travel, discover new restaurants, and watch professional baseball.