I am thankful for the earth

For FHE a couple months ago my family decided to go up the canyon to take a look at nature. We brought dinner and had a picnic and then after dinner went on a hike. 

During the hike we talked about all the beautiful things we saw and how Heavenly Father made everything on the earth. We emphasized how we need to try to be thankful for everything he has given us. We had our three year old point out all the things he could see in nature. He got really into it and was super excited as he walked by and pointed out every tree and rock and bush. We had him try to figure out what his favorite thing in nature was. It also started to rain which was another learning opportunity for our kids. Being in Utah, it was raining and sunny at the same time...

Just the other day we did something similar to this but went to cascade springs and walked around. We once again talked about all the beautiful things in nature and how heavenly father made them for us. We encouraged our children to be thankful for all these things. Since the leaves were changing colors, we also gave a little lesson on the season fall.

Hiking with young children is very possible. We do it all the time, lasting several hours sometimes. All you need is a good  baby/toddler carrier and you are set!

I am thankful for the earth

"Thank You"

Lesson

“There are two little words in the English language that perhaps mean more than all others,” says President Gordon B. Hinckley. “They are ‘thank you’ ” (“A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth,” Ensign, Jan. 2001, 4).

Ask: “why do you think these words are so meaningful? “do you feel good when someone tells you “thank you”? why?

Discuss ways in your own home you can show gratitude. Take time to tell each member of the family why you are grateful for them and the things they do. Take turns doing this.

It is important to say thank you; in fact, we are commanded to be thankful. In the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord says, “Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things” (D&C 59:7)..

Ask: “how do we show Heavenly Father and Jesus we are thankful for all they do for us?”

-We show Heavenly Father and Jesus that we are grateful to Them by keeping Their commandments. When we are baptized, we show obedience to the Lord. When we read the scriptures, we show that we are thankful to have the word of God. When we partake of the sacrament reverently, we are showing our gratitude for Jesus Christ’s Atonement.

Challenge

challenge the family to say a “thankful prayer”. When they get on their knees to pray tonight encourage them to take one prayer to only give thanks and not ask for anything. Tell the children they will discover they have SO MUCH to be thankful for!

Activity

Make Gratitude Journals for each child. Take time for them to write all the things they are grateful for. Encourage them to keep the journal somewhere they can see. This way when they have a bad day they can get it out and be reminded of all the things they have to be thankful for. Also, as they think of more things to be grateful for they can add it to their journal.

or

Using a box or other materials, make a simple replica of a home. Tell the children that the box represents a home and ask them to name some of the things in their homes that they are grateful for. Before FHE, prepare wordstrips for the older children and pictures for the younger children of things that are in the homes. Inside a box have the wordstrips or pictures such as “bed,” “sofa,” “scriptures,” and “sink.” Also include family members and possibly pets. When the children have guessed all of the things that are in the box, show them the empty box but explain that some of the most important things in a home cannot be seen. Help them name intangible things such as “love,” “the gospel,” and “gratitude.” Explain that our homes are happier when we are grateful.

Song

“I Am Glad for Many Things” (p. 151).

"Thank You"

Thanksgiving

Song: Hymn 94 Come, Ye Thankful People

Scripture: 1 Nephi 13:12-19 Nephi tells of the Gentiles coming to America.

Lesson: Tell the story of the pilgrims coming to America to escape religious persecution. Thanksgiving is a holiday we celebrate because of the gratitude the pilgrims felt for finding a new land where they could worship freely.

Discussion: Each member of the family share something he or she is thankful for.

Activity: Think of a person outside of the family who you are thankful for. Brainstorm some way you can show this person your gratitude for him/her i.e. take cookies to the home teachers, draw a picture and mail it to grandma, write a note to the bishop, rake a neighbor's leaves, etc.

Thanksgiving

Thankful Basket

This is an activity we did last year, and we will be repeating it this year. It is quite a simple way to help teach your children (and remind yourself!) about being thankful for what you have.

November is a logical time of year to do this activity since it is Thanksgiving, but there is never a wrong time to focus on gratitude.

PREPARATION

• Get a basket or some other container
• Cut up small pieces of paper

LESSON

Opening Song Ideas

• A Song of Thanks (Children's Songbook page 20)
• Father, We Thank Thee for the Night (CSB page 8)
• For Health and Strength (CSB page 21)
• For Thy Bounteous Blessings (CSB page 21)
• I am Glad for Many Things (CSB page 151)
• I am Thankful to Be Me (CSB page 11)
• I Thank Thee Dear Father (CSB page 7)
• A Song of Thanks (CSB page 20)
• Thanks to our Father (CSB page 20)
• Thanks to Thee (CSB page 6)
• Thank Thee, Father (CSB page 24)
• Thank Thee for Everything (CSB page 10)
• Count Your Blessings (Hymn number 241)
• Prayer of Thanksgiving (Hymn number 93)

Scripture Ideas

D&C 62:7--I, the Lord, am willing, if any among you desire to ride upon horses, or upon mules, or in chariots, he shall receive this blessing, if he receive it from the hand of the Lord, with a thankful heart in all things.

D&C 78:19--And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

Thankful Basket

Introduce the Thankful Basket (you could also call it a "Blessing Basket"). Explain that each night, each person is going to tell something they are thankful for. They (or mom or dad if the person is too little) will then write it down on a paper and put it in the basket. 

At Thanksgiving, you can look and see the many things your family has to be grateful for. 

Whenever you first start an activity like this, it can be hard to think of something new after the standard answers have been used up. But you soon find that it is hard to stop thinking of the blessings you have once you start to focus on them.

Thankful Basket

Giving Thanks to Heavenly Father

Topic:
We should express thanks to God for all the many things he gives us.

Preparation:
With older children you can have them find pictures of things they are thankful for from the materials listed below. You can also have older children help you make round sugar cookies and frosting.

Materials:

• Scriptures
• Children's Song Book
• Pictures of things we are thankful for. These can be pictures from the gospel art kit/book, primary visual aids cutouts, church magazines etc. You can also find pictures in the LDS image library.
• Sugar cookies and frosting (optional)

Song Suggestions:

• Thanks to Our Father (Children's Songbook, 20)
• A Song of Thanks (Children's Songbook, 20)
• For Health and Strength (Children's Songbook, 21)
• I Thank Thee, Dear Father verse 1 (Children's Songbook, 7)

Scripture:
D&C 59:7 ("Thou Shalt Thank the Lord they God in all things")

Lesson:
Tell your child(ren) that Heavenly Father has given us many blessings. Show the pictures you have gathered beforehand of things that we are thankful for. Have each member of the family take turns looking at a picture and saying what it is. Mention that all these pictures show things that Heavenly Father has given us. We can show our love for Him by saying "thank you". We often say "thank you" to Him in prayer.

Activity Ideas:
1) Remind your child(ren) that Heavenly Father has given us our bodies. Have your child(ren) stand and do the following activity verse with you. Do actions with the words.
Touch your eyes, touch your nose,
Touch your ears, touch your toes
Stretch your hands way up high,
Even higher, toward the sky.
Put your hands on your hair.
Sit down quietly on your chair.

2) Have your child(ren) stand and repeat and follow after you as you point to different body parts and say that you are thankful for them.

3) Have your child(ren) color a picture of something they are thankful for.

4) Walk around your house and have your child(ren) point out things they are thankful for.

Closing Remarks:
With younger children, have them practice saying "thank you". With older children remind them
the importance of saying thank you to Heavenly Father. Share your feelings of gratitude for Heavenly Father and Jesus and how you are so thankful for all that they have given you. Encourage your children to try to remember to say thank you for the things that we have when praying the next week.

Treat Time: Decorate a round sugar cookie to look like a face. While doing this, point out to your child(ren) that Heavenly Father gave us our faces and bodies and that we should be thankful for them.

Giving Thanks to Heavenly Father