Gratitude Tree

Hello!  It's actually going to be a busy week of posts for me here--I'm helping out with Young Women tomorrow night for an activity and I'm teaching Primary on Sunday!  Stay tuned for some lesson helps for Primary in a few days.

Today, though, I'd like to share with you the activity that I've planned for the Beehives (girls ages 12-13) since their leader just had a baby and they do not currently have a class president.  The girls had planned to do something about gratitude.  I like to coordinate my class activity ideas with Personal Progress goals and this one was kind of hard to fit in with one, but I think I got it!

So, we will be reading about gratitude in For the Strength of Youth and then starting goal #3 in Divine Nature.  Here's how it will work from start to finish:

1. Read about gratitude in For the Strength of Youth.  Discuss what gratitude is and things we should be grateful for.

2. Read goal #3 in Divine Nature.  Talk about things that our family members do for us that we should show gratitude for.  I will try to point out things that might not be as noticeable such as older siblings giving rides to Church activities, etc.

3. Have each girls decide which family member they will try to improve their relationship with.  Make sure they write down a few things that this person has done already that they could be grateful for.  Have them verbally express this gratitude when they get home.

4. Have each girl create 14 small note cards.  These will be used throughout the two weeks that this goal will take. My note cards are made from small 6" x 3" pieced of patterned paper and some punched shapes.  Encourage the girls to make each one different and to make them in their own style. I made sure to include patterns that were both feminine and masculine in case the girls chose a male family member.

5. Give each girl a Gratitude Tree handout and explain the rest of the two week process.  The instructions are included on the handout itself so that they don't forget what it's for. ;)

Another way you could  do the gratitude tree is to take branches, put them in a pot or vase, punch out hearts, and have the girls write the things their family member does for them on those hearts and put them on the tree.  Like THIS gratitude tree.  That way they could have a more concrete visual reminder of the things that their family member does for them.  Since this was spur of the moment, I don't have time to get all the things ready for this but if I had had the time, this would be the way we'd do the activity.

Please feel free to use my handout FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.  For more printing policies and disclaimers, please see the tab up top.

I hope that this is helpful to someone else out there!  See you soon for some more free lesson helps! :)