Thankfulness Songs that Help Young Children Develop Empathy

To continue my study and practice of using music to help develop empathy, this year I wrote a new song about thankfulness. I wanted a simple song that shared ways to show gratitude, one not necessarily tied to Thanksgiving, but one that could be used throughout the year. Gratitude is that awareness that someone is caring for us AND acknowledging that care. It's empathy because we need to be able to understand someone else's intentions.

Luckily, there are so many opportunities to say, “Thank you,” so there are many chances to practice developing that empathy! Every time children are served food, every time children receive help with anything, we can help our little ones to give thanks. Giving your children an opportunity to remember to show gratitude before giving a gentle reminder helps them develop a habit of saying, "Thank you." Heap on the praise when they remember!

And of course having songs that celebrate thankfulness help as well! Here are the words to the two I'm sharing this week:

1. "Thank You"

Thank you for the sun

Thank you for the sky

Thank for the rain

And for the birds that fly

Thank you for the stars

That twinkle in the night

They mean the world to me

(This is another one where I can't find the composer, and another one I learned while teaching at Black Pine Forest School in Berkeley, CA)!

2. "Giving Thanks," by Margot Bevington © 2024

[chorus]

Giving Thanks, giving thanks

Giving Thanks, giving thanks

We give thanks for the world, we give thanks

We give thanks for our food, we give thanks

We give thanks for our food, we give thanks

We can show our thanks when we eat our food

[chorus]

We give thanks for our home, we give thanks

We give thanks for our home, we give thanks

We can show our thanks when keep things clean

[chorus]

We give thanks for our friends, we give thanks

We give thanks for our friends, we give thanks

We can show our thanks when we care for friends

[chorus]

We give thanks for our love, we give thanks

We give thanks for our love, we give thanks

We can show our thanks when we share our love

Here are the words in Spanish!

[chorus]

Gracias, gracias

Gracias, gracias

Gracias por el mundo, gracias

Por el comido, gracias

Por el comido, gracias

Tenemos gratitud cuando comemos

[chorus]

Por la casa, gracias

Por la casa, gracias

Tenemos gratitud cuando limpiamos

[chorus]

Por los amigos, gracias

Por los amigos, gracias

Tenemos gratitud cuando preocupamos

[chorus]

Por el amor, gracias

Por el amor, gracias

Tenemos gratitud cuando amamos

[chorus]

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