Created by Janet Ilko for her students to write each day for 30 days.

1. #30daygratitudechallenge
How to build gratitude into
your life for 30 days!
Mrs. Ilko and room 207

2. Day 1
• What does it mean to have an attitude of
gratitude? This month we are setting a
goal of writing for 30 days straight. Starting
today! What are
• you grateful for?

3. Day 2 I am Grateful for Creativity
• What are you most proud of recently? I am proud of your
creative spirit. Here is the movie that we created
together that highlights your poetry this past trimester.
• http://vimeo.com/78400040

4. Day 3 Be Thankful For Your Body
This prompt comes from the site Awesomely Awake by
Shawn Ledington
http://awesomelyawake.com/how-to-be-awesomely-thankful/
“Thank your body. Unless you’ve died you still have plenty
of reason to be thankful for your health. Even when
something is wrong, there’s plenty that is still right. Being
thankful for being alive is the single most imporatnt way to
find gratitude during the hardest day. What is working well
on your body today?”

5. Day 4
• Defining Gratitude
• Using your iPod, find the definition of gratitude according
to dictionary.com
• Write 3 synonyms for gratitude
• Write your own definition of the word and create an
illustration

6. Day 5 Gratitude with Purpose
• Today we watched a video about a young athlete who
helped a competitor, taking care of someone above
herself. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/sports/Teen-Shows-True-Sportsmanship-DuringCross-Country-Meet-229955611.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_SDBrand
•
• That is gratitude with a purpose. How can you make
someone’s day today? What can you do to help
someone? Make a list and try at least one idea today.

7. Day 6 Gratitude Is Not Just For Big Things
Create your own gratitude wheel.

8. Day 7 Thank You For Being A Friend
• http://youtu.be/ZN3E9Yyd1HA
• Listen to this song and write a letter to a good friend
thanking them for being an important part of your life.

9. Day 8 Gratitude In The Moment
• http://ripplerevolution.com/write-a-gratitude-journal-30day-experiment/
• This is an article by Curt Rosengran about the physical
and mental benefits of keeping a gratitude journal. There
are many reasons why gratitude is good for you.
• One of his prompts is “What am I grateful for in this very
moment?”
• Take time to reflect for five minutes this morning. What
are you grateful for right here, right now? Write about it.

10. Day 9 Taking Time To Relax
• What do you like to do to unwind and find balance?

11. Day 10 The Passage of Time
• What is different today than a year ago that I am grateful
for?

12. Day 11 The History of Veteran’s Day
Why is today a holiday?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymCa1eB_qLA

13. Day 12 A Gratitude Campaign
Writing Letters to the Troops
• http://www.amillionthanks.org/send-letter-guidelines-getstarted
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSfFYxSdKdo

14. Day 13
• Today we will begin to create holiday cards to match the
letters we wrote yesterday to our military. Please have
them completed by this Friday. If you have military
friends and family you would like to send a card or letter
to, please bring the address to class, and we will make
sure they get mailed with our other letters.
• Here is another video to inspire us to write from the heart
and create something to make their day.
• http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/veteransday/video/tribute-to-veterans.html

15. Day 14 Creating a Gratitude Tree We will be
creating a forest in our hallway. (One for each
classroom.)
http://www.projectsforpreschoolers.com/making-a-thankful-tree-and-21days-of-contagious-gratitude/

16. Day 15 Gratitude Quote What does this
mean to you today?

17. Day 16
• We live in a very diverse neighborhood. What about your
neighborhood are you grateful for?

18. Day 17 Choose One Quote from the VIdeo
and Write About It.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=nS7RfiS1XkI

19. Day 18
• Today you will go on line and find 2 gratitude quotes that
speak to you.
• Please copy the quotes into your journal and write why
they resonate with your ideas about gratitude.
• On Edmodo, post your quotes on our wall. I will combine
these quotes into a video for our class to share on
Friday.

20. Day 19 Look through your journal and
highlight 10 quotes and create a wordle.

21. Day 20 What things am I grateful for?
• We all have some material possessions that make our
lives easier or better. What are 3 things in your life that
you are grateful to have? Why and how do they make
your life better?

22. Day 21 Creating a
Gratitude Bag
Today we will create a gratitude bag.
You will decorate the bag with the
saying count your blessings and cut up
enough strips of paper for 2 strips for
every member in your family.
On each piece of paper, write
something specific about each person
in your family.
Put all the strips in your bag.
At your next family dinner, or on
Thanksgiving, put the bag on the table
with the blank strips next to it with a
pen or pencil. Have everyone in your
family write about one thing they are
thankful for. Share them during dinner.
http://www.technologyrocksseriously.c
om/2011/11/i-am-thankful-for-youbecause.html

23. Day 22
• Today we will watch the gratitude quote video you
created. Keep all these positive thoughts in mind as we
begin our Thanksgving break tomorrow.
• You will also receive each of the prompts for the next
nine days since we will be on break. If you bring it back
on Monday December 2nd, you will receive a special
treat.
• Hope this gratitude journal is becoming something you
are looking forward to writing each day.

24. Day 23 What in our natural world can you be
thankful for today? Pick a place and write.

25. Day 24 People Inspire Gratitude
• Who is someone who inspires you? Write them a note
and tell them why they are important in your life. If you
can, give it to them.

26. Day 25 Our Animal Friends
• What animals are you grateful for? Pets? Animals in the
Wild? Write about it.

27. Day 26 What Activities Inspire Gratitude?
• What activities are you grateful to be a part of? Your
soccer team? The band? Make a list of activities you
enjoy. Next to that list write down why they make you
happy. Thank those people who make those activities
possible.

28. Day 27 Family Food Traditions
•
When we come back in December we will be talking about holidays we
celebrate in our homes. Do you serve traditional foods in your home for
celebrations? Write about your favorites. Here is what Snoopy made for a
friendly Thanksgiving Dinner. Enjoy!
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-fCt1nitmk

29. Day 28 Happy Thanksgiving!!
• Please share your gratitude cards with family and
friends.
• Today is also the day you can use those gratitude strips.
Have everyone who is sitting around your table today
write what they are grateful for! Put them in your
gratitude bag, and read them aloud at the table.

30. Day 29 Black Friday!! Do something nice
today!
• Today the entire world seems to be focused on shopping
for the holidays. There will be news stories about people
spending all night in line just waiting to get into the
stores.
• Our job today is to spread a little gratitude around. Start
the day by writing a list of 5 things you are grateful for
that do not cost a single dime.
• As a bonus, if you are out and about today, make that
extra effort to say thank you. Perhaps open a door for
two for people who are in a rush. Be mindful of others
and it will bring you joy.

31. Day 30 Let the Journey Continue
• Today is the last day of the challenge. Click on this wiki
address below to learn more about how simple it would
be to continue your gratitude journey.
• I hope this project has motivated you to keep gratitude in
your heart, and to write daily.
• I plan on keeping my journal on line, just posting daily
what I am grateful for. Perhaps you can make it a page
on your blog we will be starting next month.
• Whatever you decide, I am grateful you took on this
project with me!
• http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Gratitude-Journal