3 Object Lessons on Thankfulness & Gratitude

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What’s the one thing missing from many Thanksgiving celebrations? Gratitude, oh my! Hard as they may try, parents face real challenges instilling this virtue into their little ones. Today’s “me first” society leads kid astray. I believe God wants us to instruct our children to have a good attitude in all things. Supplement your Thanksgiving Sunday School lesson with these three object lessons.


Bible Object Lessons about Thankfulness

Thanksgiving Object Lessons

Biblical teaching on gratitude and thankfulness for kids


The rejected gift: (John 3:16) Message

Wrap up a gift and display it as you tell this story. Say, “Pretend that you spent months finding the perfect gift for someone you love. You searched and searched until you found a gift that you’re sure your loved one will appreciate. It was an expensive gift and you had to sell everything you own to buy it. Finally, you did it. You put the gift in a box and you wrapped it up. When the right day came, you gave the gift to that person you loved. You couldn’t hardly wait! You showed them the gift, holding it out in your hands but the person you loved said, ‘No thank you.’ She wouldn’t open it, she just turned and walked away. You left feeling sad and rejected. God feels the same way when we reject His son, Jesus. God’s best gift was His son. Jesus gave his life so we could go to heaven. Will you accept God’s gift today?”

Attitude of gratitude: (2 Cor. 9:7) Children’s Sermon

For this object lesson, write the word “attitude” on a dry erase board. Talk to kids about what attitude means. Slowly, erase and add the letters needed to spell “gratitude.” Tell kids that God wants them to have an attitude of gratitude. They should remember to be thankful for their blessings.

Stinky egg: (Col. 3:15) Object Lesson

You need to think ahead for this object lesson. Put one egg in a carton and leave it out on the counter for a few days. Carefully draw a sad face on the “stinky” egg. Put a happy face on a fresh egg. Explain to the children that the stinky egg wants to be alone, doesn’t like to share and is never thankful. Crack the egg in a bowl so kids can smell the stinkiness in side. In another bowl, crack a fresh egg. Let kids see how fresh the egg looks. Ask kids to choose which kind of egg they want to be


Thanksgiving Object Lesson on Gratefulness

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This object lesson on gratitude for Thanksgiving will help kids give thanks to God throughout the month of November.

What does the Bible say about gratitude?

Here are some of our favorite Thanksgiving Bible verses to help kids, adults, and youth hear what God’s Word says about being thankful.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17 NIV

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

Psalm 107:1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 107:1 NIV

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.

1 Timothy 4:4 NIV
New Sunday School Curriculum: Our Bible lessons are designed to keep the kids’ attention and show how God's Word makes a difference. Every series is flexible enough for a wide-age group and affordable enough for small churches. Download a free Bible lesson in pdf or view our latest Sunday School curriculum for small churches.

3 thoughts on “3 Object Lessons on Thankfulness & Gratitude”

  1. Hello, I like many things on this site, and have been thankful for the great free resources. For this reason I felt like I needed to say something regarding the above post. I believe the kind of teaching from “The Rejected Gift” object lesson is not helping young kids understand the gospel of God.
    We don’t accept God’s gift because He feels sad. “Jesus is Lord” is the message of the New Testament. He and the father are One. We accept the gift of salvation by repenting and believing the good news of His kingdom. There’s something wrong with leading kids to believe that we should accept God’s gift based on the human emotional sadness we feel when someone rejects us. God already has “shown his love for us” by sending Jesus to die for us. We accept it not because God is sad if we don’t, but because we realize how sad we are without him – upon seeing how amazing His love really is. He doesn’t need us. We need him. That’s why the cross is offensive to some – it shows us how horrible our state is while simultaneously showing us his love and obedience – as the beloved son of the Father.
    Rather, why not showcase the fact that the girl missed out on a wonderful gift. If the person giving the gift was only doing it to feel accepted it wasn’t out of love anyways. The girl who rejected the gift is to be pitied – not the pure-hearted giver.

  2. It’s a nice talk and I like the activity. It’s not an object lesson though. That’s what I was specifically looking for.

  3. I enjoyed the rejected gift I will use it for out church thanksgiving dinner. I will add a little more to it but over all it was what I was looking for.

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