Is your family in thankful mode yet?
I'm not sure my boys are honestly. Have to coax them into it kinda... someone tell me most kids are kinda that way? :) I love the Thanksgiving season that get them by my side, thinking of other people instead of just themselves.
Have you ever done a random act of kindness? I'm sure you have, even if you didn't realize it. They make me feel so good inside! I love the feeling of pulling away from the drive-through having just paid for the guy behind me, or having taped a quarter to a gumball machine. It brings tears to me eyes- such a cool feeling!
I thought I could maybe take one of Coop and Ry's favorite boredom busters- a treasure hunt- and add random acts of kindness to the mix. I did give them a small treasure at the end, but it wasn't what stole the show of this activity- they enjoyed doing the selfless tasks that were part of each clue far more. I really hope the kit that I made using the fun Falling for Fall digi elements at Summertime Designs will be something your kiddos can enjoy too! The boys loved doing this- certainly more fun than the normal hunts we've done!
Each of the six clues in this treasure hunt kit lead kids to think of and/or do a random act of kindness, like this one above. We live in a rural neighborhood, so picking up trash around our general area worked for us. Is there an area not too far from you that you know your kids can safely gather some trash in a small bag? I think we all can think of a good spot, eh? ;)
As part of the kit, there are two larger cards to write or draw on to hand out to people that your kids want to let know they are thankful for. People like the cashier at the grocery store, mail delivery person, garbage man, school receptionist or counselor, coach- whoever you maybe don't think to thank too often! (No one really thanks anyone as often as we could or should, right?) :)
It's a neat feeling to hand the card to someone, smile and walk away, knowing you just brightened their day without having to say much if anything. Leaving the card for someone to find is fun too.
You don't have to actually deliver the cards as part of the treasure hunt itself- ours above are still tucked in my bag waiting to be used when we go out and about. I liked that parts of this actually prolong the kindess/ thankfulness concept- it's not just a twenty minute activity that they'll forget about immediately. (At least hopefully!)
For this clue, my boys thought of knocking and running a plate of goodies to our neighbors- they love doing that! Here they are running back home :) They might not be ultra good at not getting caught in the act, eh? ;)
It sounds like it wouldn't be that fun, but my boys honestly do love dropping off donations! For this clue, my boys just looked through their toy box and found several things they could part with- all of our kids can most likely manage that, right? :) While they did that, I grabbed a pile of clothes from their closet that I'd set aside as too small and added to this box to take to a local thrift shop.
The treasure hunt kit comes with a printable sheet of cards for taping a quarter to. Then those cards can be taped to gumball or other quarter machines. My boys and I did this during Christmas once before and they really loved it! I honestly got tears walking away from having left the coins at the machines- it's just fun and neat to do! Again, one of those clues that prolongs the whole thing and doesn't have to happen right away :)
I know that your kiddos will love doing a different kind of treasure hunt and sure hope it helps them feel the reason for the Thanksgiving season- thinking of others always help us be more grateful!
To print the treasure hunt kit that includes all the clues and other cards you'll need,
just click HERE!
