Using gratitude prompts for Thanksgiving is a powerful tool! It’s a way to reflect for the holiday and appreciate what we have at the moment. These are good gratitude prompts for students, gratitude prompts for adults, and writing prompts for kids of all ages and also fun Thanksgiving activities.

Best Gratitude Prompts for Thanksgiving
If you’re wondering what are some gratitude activities, you’ll love these!
How do you express gratitude on Thanksgiving?
- Use gratitude pumpkins for Thanksgiving gratitude prompts as a Thanksgiving centerpiece – perfect for gratitude ideas for Thanksgiving dinner (good for thankful activities for preschoolers and up!)
- Create thankful Thursday prompts all month and end on Thanksgiving
- Read together poems of thanksgiving and gratitude
- Volunteer as a family and focus on helping others
- Make a gratitude paper chain with what everyone is thankful for written on each chain link (this is a fun gratitude craft for adults and kids alike!)
- Write a letter to someone who has made life better for you (read on for ideas on how to express gratitude in writing)
- Make Thanksgiving cards with Thanksgiving inspirational messages for nursing home residents
- In person, thank someone on Thanksgiving for something they’ve done for you
- Watch the Thanksgiving speech on Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for inspiration
- Think of three things that you are thankful for every morning at the time you wake up, write them down
- Make gratitude rocks and leave them on the porches or at the doors of people you’re grateful for
- Play a Thanksgiving gratitude game
- Keep a gratitude journal where you write down three things that you are thankful for every night before you fall asleep
(See the list of Gratitude Prompts For Thanksgiving below!)
But, why should we focus on this? What is the importance of gratitude?
Why is it important to show gratitude on Thanksgiving?
The Thanksgiving season is an important time to be thankful and show gratitude to others because the simple act of acknowledging what you’re thankful for and thanking others can reduce stress and make everyone happier. This time of year can be hectic and stressful. Taking a moment to participate in thankful activities can help slow down and focus on important things in life.
ALSO CHECK OUT: FREE Thanksgiving Printable Gratitude Pumpkins

What Are You Grateful For Prompts for Thanksgiving
Gratitude writing prompts are writing ideas that help students, adults, and kids of all ages give thanks for all they have. These can be used on Thanksgiving day with the family, Thanksgiving journal prompts for adults and kids of all ages, or to write about in class or homeschool as Thanksgiving thankful activities for students.
Writing prompts about being thankful:
- What do you most appreciate and value in your life?
- Who are you grateful for?
- What are you most grateful for within the last 24 hours? The last 7 days? This month?
- Are there any memories of family/friends/significant others that make you feel thankful and happy?
- Ask a person in your life what are they most grateful for. How does it differ from what you are grateful for in your life?
- What do people in your community appreciate about one another, and what makes it a special place to live? Why is it important to show gratitude towards other people in your community?
- What would the world be like if all people were grateful?
- What makes gratitude so important, and what does it lead to?
- What would your life be like without gratitude? How has gratitude helped you so far? Why is it such an important topic to discuss and write about?
Writing Prompts For Gratitude On Thanksgiving
Use these Thanksgiving writing prompts for an activity on the holiday. You can even provide a sheet of paper with these reflections to use as writing prompts for after Thanksgiving.
Thankful Prompts:
- I am thankful for…
- I am thankful I can…
- What does this food represent to you? What memories does it bring back? What feelings? Why is it so important to be thankful for this particular day and the food?
- What do you think the world would be like if everyone was grateful? What could we all learn from such a world?
- Tell something that happened to you this year that you’re grateful for.
- What makes this Thanksgiving special for you? What are you most thankful for?
ALSO CHECK OUT: Unique Journaling Prompts For Kids