faith-based character development ideas

[Ladybug]

I'm trying to step it up a notch at home and want to select one characteristic each month to focus on. This month will be thanksgiving and growing a thankful heart. I introduced it last night and they had fun writing their daily graitude on the kitchen white board. I've stewed on it overnight, and I'm going to have the kids make a poster that says growing an attitude of gratitude, and I'm precutting paperchain links so each day they can write down what they want to give thanks for and link it onto their growing chain. Hopefully we'll end up with paperchains tacked up around the kitchen ceilling. I'm going to focus on commending them with they show gratitude and say thanks, and have them write some thank you notes to people that touch their lives and hearts.

I'm canvassing you for thanksgiving scriptures and ideas for teaching them in a fun, accessible and interactive way. Short and sweet for young minds.

I'm asking for any other ideas for teaching graitudue and thanksgiving to young children. Books with gratitude themes? Related children's ministries?

I'm also going to wrap some boxes labeled with challenging everyday situations, talk about the possible reactions and then show how by our reactions we can choose to open the gift and find what's hidden inside (patience, forgiveness, sharing, helping etc.) and have bulbs that they can grow/blossom and give thanks for to hidden opportunity to grow beautiful characteristics. I hoping this will plant the seeds of understanding why we should give thanks in all situations.

I dont' think you need faith to teach children positive character development, but since I'm using our faith to contextualize our family's character teachings I included it in the title. I'd love to hear any and all ideas and I hope this in not misinterpreted as an exculsion...just a full disclosure of where I was going with this. And note I used the inclusive term "faith" so please dont' flame me or turn this into a debate thread.

Oh, and December will be sharing (generosity) but I haven't sussed it out yet.

[lovelight]

What a great idea! I always had my kindergartners make thankful turkeys where they have to write something they are thankful for on each feather, but you have that xivered with your chain. So I don't have much to add on thankfulness yet, but you may want to check out the book...Have You Filled a Bucket Today?...it's about being kind to others, giving compliments, etc. It might fit into another monthly theme you do down the line.

[v-girl]

Love your ideas!

[medpedspouse]

Have nothing to add (yeah - I know I suck) other than to say how impressed I am by what you have come up with - those are fantastic ideas! I am sure that they will not only build character but create some amazing family memories.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

What about you and your DH (and the whole family) sharing what they're thankful about at some point during the day (breakfast, dinner, etc.)? That way the kids see you guys expressing gratitude too and can see the kinds of things you guys value.

Psalm 100 is the classic thanksgiving psalm. Do you guys do memory verses? That could be a good one for the kids to learn this month.

[lovelight]

In regards to sharing at dinner, i've heard of some families doing a daily sharing if the highest and lowest part if each day as a means of keeping communication open and sharing.

[Ladybug]

Thanks, love light.. I like the idea of adding the lows in too and maybe finding the blessing in them. Unfortunately the kids usually eat before dad is home (tis the life of surgery) so maybe we can move it to books/bedtime.

I was looking at that bucket book on amazon, but didn't order it because it didn't have a lot of reviews. I decided to get it after your post, and then yesterday my mom mentioned the same book and said she had included in a package that is being mailed today. Thanks for the rec!

We started our gratitude chain last night and the girls are totally into it. L even started a list afterwards for today's links and then color coded them for the links she wanted to use. Lol.

[peggyfromwastate]

We don't do "lows" anymore bc it almost always turned into stuff like "my low was when little brother hit me". It was a way for the little snots to tattle!!!

I love your idea ladybug!!! Love your commitment to this!

[Pollyanna]

Check out this website: http://www.valuesparenting.com/about/memberbenefits.php . They have an entire program for a value of the month. We used to do this on a regular basis and add a Catholic bent to it. It's a really great program with lots of ideas. You are an awesome mama Ladybug!!!

[Ravenclaw]

No advice but what a great idea!

[Ladybug]

What about you and your DH (and the whole family) sharing what they're thankful about at some point during the day (breakfast, dinner, etc.)? That way the kids see you guys expressing gratitude too and can see the kinds of things you guys value.

Psalm 100 is the classic thanksgiving psalm. Do you guys do memory verses? That could be a good one for the kids to learn this month.

Thanks!!! I think we'll focus on this psalm and I'll let them illustrate it too. I didn't grow up memorizing verses so it's a weak link for me. Hopefully I can give my kids a stronger recall foundation.

[Amiens]

lovelight- we do something similar every Sunday or Monday night called "Best and Worse." Everyone talks about the best thing and the worst thing that happened in their week, it circumvents the tattling.

Sorry this post is disjointed. I have all these thoughts and no time to really connect them.

- We have a "tree" that I made last year that says "We are Thankful" and each day we write on a leaf what it is that we are grateful for.

- I have thought of doing a Service Jar, where you add a pom-pom to the jar when you do a random act of kindness.

- We also had a discussion last week about wants versus needs, as well as gratitude as Christmas is approaching.

- Next week I am taking my oldest two to help me do service for a home-bound woman of our church. We will help with the dishes and laundry, and get the house ready for the maid service.

- Last year, there was a stuffed animal drive for the assisted living facility near our home. We had the kids donate a bunch of stuffed toys. I am thinking about doing the same thing this year, but with our toys and donating them to the Women's Shelter downtown.

- Our school does a character value each month, and we've incorporated into our family discussions at home. This month it is compassion, and it is in line with the clothing and food drive that is currently going on.

I love the ideas.

[Ladybug]

Check out this website: http://www.valuesparenting.com/about/memberbenefits.php

Perfect!

Thanks everyone! I knew I came to the right place to save me hours of researching.

[DCJenn]

We have the Bucket book and it's fantastic. In fact, there have been days when its been helpful for us to be able to say that the dude's behavior is either filling or emptying our buckets. (and vice versa)

J.

[lovelight]

We also do a compliment jar where if the kids have a compliment for someone else they write it and put it in the jar. During morning meeting I open the jar and read all the compliments. You could do something similar in the home.