Write a Gratitude Poem

Child is writing at a desk, holding a pen and paper.

Turkey, family, and apple pie – all three are exciting things that we think about when Thanksgiving arrives each year. But most of all, we think of gratitude. Gratitude is about being thankful for the positive moments and people in your life.

So, how can we express our gratitude? One of our favorite ways to express gratitude here at ICAN is through the arts. Let’s talk about why gratitude is important, and learn how to express gratitude through poetry!

Why is Gratitude Important?

Being thankful has so many benefits. In psychology, which is the study of the mind, gratitude correlates with happiness. When we practice mindfulness and think about what makes us grateful, we spend more time with the people and activities that we love. Being grateful inspires us to improve our health and well-being, especially mental health. That’s why writing a gratitude poem can be so fun. It’s a perfect way to start practicing mindfulness, especially if you aren’t sure where to begin!

Autumn leaves have fallen from trees, seen on the sidewalk of a orange and yellow colored park
The best part of gratitude is that it’s not just about Thanksgiving. We can be thankful for the entire year!

The First Step

The first step of writing a gratitude poem is making a list of what you’re thankful for. You could write down the names of people in your family who make you smile, or the beautiful colors of fall leaves outside! You could even write that you’re thankful for chocolate. ICAN is thankful for music, art, culture, and especially our listeners and readers, like you! What makes you feel grateful?

You might have too many ideas to write down, and that’s okay! There are so many things that we can appreciate in our lives. For this poem, you can pick one person or thing that you’re grateful for, or you can pick many. Remember, you can always write more poems!

Book is displayed open to the middle, two pages bend back to make a heart shape

The Second Step

The second step of writing a gratitude poem is writing about why you appreciate it. After you chose something from your list that you’re thankful for, it’s important to recognize why you’re thankful.

ICAN is thankful for art because it’s inspirational, beautiful, and colorful. Art makes us connect with our emotions, and it helps us connect with the people around us!

You can also write down what it means to you. ICAN is thankful for art. To ICAN, art means paint on a canvas, dancers flying through the air, and even the songs of birds chirping outside. ICAN is also thankful for our listeners and readers! To ICAN, our listeners and readers means children from around the world, thoughtful teachers, and creative families.

The Third Step

The third step of writing a gratitude poem is putting everything together into a poem! You can pick any type of poem that you’d like. It can be a rhyming poem with similar sounds throughout, or it can be a free verse poem (which means a non-rhyming poem). It can be a funny poem or it can be a serious poem. It can be a long poem, or a short poem. The options are endless!

Here’s an example poem, based on ICAN’s gratitude for art!

Grateful for Art

Sketches on a canvas,
Words in a book,
Music in the air,
Hear, touch, and look!

I’m thankful for songs, they make me dance,
I’m thankful for paintings, they make me smile.
I’m thankful for stories, they make me think,
Let’s go to a museum – we can stay for awhile!

The Last Step

The last step of writing a gratitude poem is posting your poem on Instagram, and tagging us at @ican.radio for a chance to see your poem on our Instagram story! We would love to read what you come up with!

Be sure to check out our TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@icanradio for more mindful moments and tips.

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