This month, all of our Twirl students are talking about thankfulness through Psalm 107:1:
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.”
With Thanksgiving coming up next week, we want to share a few of our favorite ways to embrace the season with your Twirl student!
Make it a Habit
Set aside some time each day to count your blessings! So often we’re caught up in what we need and what needs to be done that we don’t look around and find peace in what we have. It’s exhausting! Make time to be thankful and work it into your daily routine. Talk with your Twirl students about what makes their hearts happy first thing in the morning, over lunch or even before bed, then pray together to thank God for each of the things on your hearts each day. Making a habit of thankfulness is a great way to cultivate a heart of gratitude!
See the Good
Practice turning moments of frustration into moments of gratitude. Didn’t understand a step at dance? Didn’t stand on your usual dotty spotty in class? Maybe you’re out of your favorite snacks, your favorite outfit or blanket is in the laundry, or you’re back to e-learning for a few weeks. Whatever your Twirl student is struggling with, practice finding gratitude in each moment. As the seasons change, rather than being sad it’s dark so early or too cold to play outside, be thankful for a warm house to keep you safe, warm drinks and blankets, or the beautiful colors and smells in each day. God gives us reasons to be thankful in every season! After all, without winter, we wouldn’t have spring.
Try some Activities!
Use play or craft time to practice being thankful as a family! Here are some ideas to get you started:
● Make a thankful turkey: Make a body with some construction paper, then cut out some feathers in all different colors. Each day, have your family write something they’re thankful for on a feather, then add it to the turkey’s tail.
● Start a thankfulness jar: Have your family write things they’re thankful for on small pieces of paper, fold them up, and sneak them into a jar throughout the day. Open the jar at Thanksgiving dinner and take turns reading each note aloud to share in each other’s hearts.
● Write some thank you notes: A little effort goes a long way! Ask your Twirl student to write a note of gratitude to someone they’re thankful for. Write it together, encourage them to write it themselves or simply draw a picture instead.
● Add on to Turning Pointe’s Gratitude Chain: The lobby might be closed, but students can still share their hearts! Stop by the front desk and add a link to our gratitude chain. Grab a strip of the paper provided, write down what you’re grateful for, then use the tape to loop your link and attach it to the chain. Watch as it grows to remember just how much we have to be thankful for!