What are the three products?

The 98-page Operation Thank You Manual, the classroom activity book Why and How To Say “Thank You,” and a 30-card flashcard set. All three are available in Spanish.

How does a sponsor work?

A leader requests a sponsor at no cost. A sponsor may choose the group or be matched by Alison. Payment is due when the package is ready to ship. Shipping is included on full and partial packages. The leader is contacted before shipping, and parents receive a sample letter.

How long is a mission?

Missions are 5 to 10 minutes. Daily groups use the Monday–Friday half of the manual. Weekly groups use the once-per-week half.

Preschool thank you lessons | Culture of Thank You

What preschool children can do

Preschool children can learn why thank you matters before they write much. They need a picture, a person, and one clear kindness. A long talk loses them. The leader shows the moment, the children say a short line, and the group stops while the words still feel friendly.

Most preschoolers dictate. The adult writes the name and the short line. A child who wants to mark the page can draw the helper and trace the words Thank you.

one picture and one question, answered out loud in a small circle

The note can be a dictated sentence. The child supplies the person’s name and the kindness. The adult prints it on the activity-book template so the child can see that spoken thanks and written thanks are the same idea.

A sample school week for preschool

Keep Monday inside 5 to 7 minutes in this classroom group. Look only. Put a small watering can where preschool children can see it. Name Mr. Bennett, the neighbor, and say the kindness: he passed a lighter watering can so a child could reach the plants. It happened at a garden bed. Ask “What did he change so you could do the job?” Stop at 5 to 7 minutes. No note yet. The block has to end on time. Five to ten minutes is the whole lesson, not the introduction to a longer lesson. If they freeze, Use a cup as the can. The thanks comes after the pour, not before, so children see the job.

Tuesday in the classroom belongs to the classroom teacher. Say the line. preschool children tell a partner, “Thank you for letting me water the plants.” Open the template before anyone writes. Read the parts: greeting, the kindness, closing. Then write only about today’s helper. If the kindness disappears, point back to a small watering can. The block has to end on time. Five to ten minutes is the whole lesson, not the introduction to a longer lesson. If they freeze, Use a cup as the can. The thanks comes after the pour, not before, so children see the job.

On Wednesday, preschool children (about 4 and 5) stay with “The watering can passed over.” Test the detail. Ask “What thanks names the tool and the plants?” Answers have to name what Mr. Bennett did, not that the neighbor was nice. one picture and one question, answered out loud in a small circle. The block has to end on time. Five to ten minutes is the whole lesson, not the introduction to a longer lesson. If they freeze, Use a cup as the can. The thanks comes after the pour, not before, so children see the job.

Thursday does not add a new helper. It stays with Mr. Bennett. Draft the note. The note can be a dictated sentence. The child supplies the person’s name and the kindness. The adult prints it on the activity-book template so the child can see that spoken thanks and written thanks are the same idea. Aim at “Thank you for sharing the watering can.” Most preschoolers dictate. The adult writes the name and the short line. A child who wants to mark the page can draw the helper and trace the words Thank you. The block has to end on time. Five to ten minutes is the whole lesson, not the introduction to a longer lesson. If they freeze, Use a cup as the can. The thanks comes after the pour, not before, so children see the job.

Keep Friday inside 5 to 7 minutes in this classroom group. Send it. Children deliver “Thank you for letting me water the plants.” or the note, then take home this job: Water one plant with a family member and thank them for teaching you how much water to use. The note names a person and a kindness. “Thanks for everything” does not pass. The block has to end on time. Five to ten minutes is the whole lesson, not the introduction to a longer lesson. If they freeze, Use a cup as the can. The thanks comes after the pour, not before, so children see the job.

The same grade outside a classroom

homeschool: Home-schoolers use the same missions teachers use in class. The manual, one activity book, and the flashcards fit on the kitchen table. An all-inclusive home-schooler package is available in English and Spanish. Daily schooling can follow the Monday–Friday format. A weekly gratitude block can follow the once-per-week format. The mission should not crowd the rest of the homeschool day. Stop at the time limit even if the child wants to keep decorating the note.

daycare: Daycare days are full. The program is built for that: short missions, a manual with a once-per-week option, and materials that work for mixed ages 4 to 9. There is no cost to the provider when a sponsor funds the package. Register on Find a Sponsor and Alison matches the room with a business or an individual. Mixed ages share the room. The youngest children answer out loud. Older children write. Nobody waits while the other group finishes a long craft.

Scouts: Scout dens and packs often meet weekly. The second half of the Operation Thank You Manual is a once-per-week sequence written for clubs, so gratitude practice fits a den meeting without taking the whole hour. A sponsor can fund the manual, an activity book for each child, and the flashcard set. Shipping is included on full and partial packages. The den may meet only once this week. Do not assign five school-day missions and hope families finish them. Use the weekly format and send one home mission.

Sunday school: Sunday school time is limited. The once-per-week missions were written for groups that meet weekly, including church classes. Children can thank family, classmates, and people who serve the congregation. The series still ends with a thank-you note. Opening and music already take time. The mission is one short block, then the note template only when the group has practiced the kindness out loud.

Books, cards, and a sponsor

Each child needs Why and How To Say “Thank You,” the classroom edition: a saddle-stitched activity book with situations for saying thank you, the How To Write A Thank You Note template, and extra pages to practice. The flashcard set has 30 cards, 8.5 by 11 inches, colorful, with rounded corners. The cards mirror the activity book so the group can look at one situation before writing. The Operation Thank You Manual is 98 pages. The first half is the Monday–Friday classroom sequence. The second half is the once-per-week sequence for clubs. The manual, the activity book, and the flashcards are available in Spanish. The MISSION Reminders Supplement can be added when some children speak Spanish. Extra activity books are sold in packs of 10.

For the sample kindness, children practice “Thank you for letting me water the plants.” and write toward “Thank you for sharing the watering can..” Spanish: “Gracias por dejarme regar las plantas.”

Before Mr. Bennett comes up in the classroom

The classroom teacher should be able to say the kindness in one breath: Mr. Bennett he passed a lighter watering can so a child could reach the plants. If that sentence is fuzzy, preschool children will write a vague thank-you. Keep a small watering can in reach and keep the mission inside 5 to 7 minutes. The block has to end on time. Five to ten minutes is the whole lesson, not the introduction to a longer lesson.

The Culture of Thank You program ends with writing a thank-you note. The classroom activity book includes a How To Write A Thank You Note template and extra pages so children can practice before a real note goes out. Younger children dictate. Older children write more of it themselves. For this group the success test is specific: The note names a person and a kindness. “Thanks for everything” does not pass. A shy child may point at a small watering can, whisper “Thank you for letting me water the plants.,” or dictate “Thank you for sharing the watering can..” All three count. A blank refusal gets another look at a garden bed, not a lecture.

Questions leaders ask

The Culture of Thank You program is for children ages 4 to 9, preschool through 4th grade. Younger children in the group dictate. Older children write more of the note.