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    Teaching Gratitude with Daily Copywork - 2022-11-03 08:00:00-04

As homeschool moms, there is a never-ending list of things we want to teach our children. Not just Math and writing, but also the fun stuff like art and making friends. Also there’s cleaning, cooking, smiling, and respecting others. Oh and being kind, having self-control, endurance, and gratitude….

How can you fit it all in? Short answer, you can’t.

But you can try to simplify your homeschool days and incorporate or combine when possible. The rest you have to trust will come in time!

An easy way to begin teaching some of these topics is to use copywork. This allows us to combine more traditional subjects like handwriting and grammar with more subjective topics. In this case, gratitude. 

Keep reading for a simple way to teach gratitude with the use of copywork. 

What is Copywork? 

Copywork is taking a portion of writing and re-writing or copying it by hand. 

Many do this with novel passages, scripture, poetry, or even lists. It is great for all ages, and can naturally be advanced in difficulty as children get older.

Benefits of copywork:

1. Attention to details
2. Exposure to different writing styles
3. Increases vocabulary
4. Helps with grammar understanding
5. Focus on the topic
6. Increase fine motor skills
7. Improve spelling
8. Develop handwriting skills
9. And more!

It has been said that the act of physically writing can help us to remember and better take in what we are writing. It also helps us to slow down and be a little more mindful. What better headspace to be in when reading (or writing!) character building scriptures?

What is Gratefulness? 

Dictionary.com says the definition of grateful is: “warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received.”

My easy definition is “Seeing the good.”

Other words we can use for this same sentiment: Grateful(ness), gratitude, thankful(ness), praise, thanksgiving, thanks. The Bible even talks about thanksgiving being a sacrifice.

When we sacrifice our selfish thoughts and are thinking about things outside of ourselves, our lives can be better. It changes our perspective. 

Why Teach Gratitude?

We have a tendency as humans to focus on the bad things that happen in life. There’s always something we can point out that is wrong. 

Truly, it’s a biological function that we remember all the bad things to help us to prevent more bad in the future. Think cave men and tigers. 

But if you are always thinking of the bad, it is nearly impossible to live a good life, improve yourself, and move forward. The excuses and demands of the day can lead us to easily focus on sadness, grief, anxiety, and tragedy. But what can lead us out of this cycle?

Follow the good. Be grateful.

Take note of the beauty around you. The kindness. The love. 

I remember a season in my life where I was having a hard time. Just stopping and focusing on the good things for a moment helped me to refocus and keep going. It’s a pretty amazing practice.

You don’t have to come up with amazing anecdotes for life. You don’t have to think of the best, most beautiful, wonderful thing that happened. Start small.

Thank you for a phone to read this on. Thank you for clean water to drink. Thank you for my children. 

Author Robert Brault has said it well. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”

There are scientific studies that say when you take note of the good things and look at the world around you through a positive light, there is a lesser chance of being depressed. Interesting.

But even before we had the official studies, it has been known that thankfulness brings a better life. It’s in scripture and it’s in quotes through the ages.

Notes on gratitude are found in the writings of Charlotte Mason, GK Chesterton, Charles Dickens, even Winnie the Pooh!

We all know life is hard. So the question isn’t will bad things happen, but instead, how will you deal with them? And how can you teach this to your kids?

Let’s get to the point. 

How do we Practice Gratitude?

How do I use Copywork to teach it to My Kids?

When seeing the good things in life becomes a habit, we can see it everywhere. But how do we start to practice gratitude and also teach it to our kids?

One of the simplest ways to approach a new habit is to start small everyday. I like creating lists and plans so making a short daily list of things we are grateful for can be an easy way to start a new habit.

It’s great to start your day with this. You could also note things as you go through your day. Starting with a list of 3 is a great amount. 

I also find it helpful to use examples of gratitude through copywork. There are many scriptures that speak of thankfulness, gratefulness and praise!

And lucky for you, I have already pulled together a month’s worth of scripture copywork to do with your children this month! 

I have found 30 short scripture passages for you. You may not use all 30, and that’s ok. I have kept them short so you can use them with your children, but they are quality for any age. 

Copywork doesn’t have to only be for the kids. It has helped me personally through some difficult seasons. It’s the best mix of mindfulness and mindlessness. Not so difficult that it’s stressful, but it is easy to focus on a short passage for minimal meditation.

So here’s my collection of some great passages that focus on gratitude.

Day 1: 1 Chronicles 16:8
Day 2: Hebrews 12:28-29
Day 3: 1 Chronicles 29:13
Day 4: Psalm 9:1-2
Day 5: 1 Corinthians 1:4
Day 6: Psalm 30:11-12
Day 7: Ephesians 1:15-16
Day 8: Psalm 50:14-15
Day 9: Romans 1:21
Day 10: Psalm 69:30
Day 11: Ephesians 5:19b-20
Day 12: Psalm 95:2-3
Day 13: Colossians 3:17
Day 14: Psalm 100:4
Day 15: Philippians 4:6-7
Day 16: Philemon 1:4-5
Day 17: Psalm 107:31
Day 18: Colossians 4:2
Day 19: Psalm 107:8-9
Day 20: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
Day 21: Psalm 116:17
Day 22: James 1:17
Day 23: Psalm 118:21
Day 24: Psalm 118:24
Day 25: 2 Corinthians 9:15
Day 26: Psalm 126:2b-3
Day 27: Isaiah 12:4
Day 28: Lamentations 3:22-23
Day 29: Psalm 136:1-2
Day 30: Colossians 2:6-7

If you would like to print some copywork pages, you could consider using a website like handwritingworksheets.com to make copywork pages in the style of your choice. 

Gratitude Copywork Pages

I hope this post has been helpful for laying the foundation of teaching gratefulness and copywork to your children. Copywork helps us to model good grammar and vocabulary for our children. It can also help us to teach some more difficult topics. 

You now have what you need to model gratitude for your children. And you have copywork all laid out for the next month! Happy homeschooling!

You can get the Gratitude Copywork Pages by leaving your name & email. We’ll zip it on over to your inbox. If you are reading this on email, click here to get your Gratitude Copywork Pages.

Jenn Dickerson is a homeschool mom of 3, a singer, and a planner. If she is not singing in the van on the way to homeschool co-op, you’ll find her checking off lists at home. She learned the art of list-making from her mom and now helps others plan their homeschools over at Homeschool-Planning.com

Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest

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