“Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.”

—W. T. Purkiser

Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude for family, friends, food, warmth, clothing, and other wonderful things and memories. This week, teach your students the expression “count your blessings.” Then try this fun pre- or post-Thanksgiving activity to practice vocabulary and counting in English!

count your blessings: to focus on the good things in your life

1. Cut a long piece of string and tie it from one end of your classroom to the other.
2. Invite students to write (in English) or draw things/people/memories that they are thankful for. 
3. Have students attach their words and pictures to the string with clothes pegs or paper clips.
4. At the end of the day (or each week) review all of the words on the string. Then have students stand up and actually count the blessings out loud together!
5. Leave the string up until the end of the year, and invite your students to continue adding to it each day. At the end of the year, count your blessings again! How many things/people/memories are your students thankful for?

What are you thankful for this year? Feel free to share more than one blessing!