A Guide for Creating a Successful Thanksgiving Prayer Service

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I wanted to share my favorite way to honor the day with students. I have had the opportunity to lead my students (usually K-5) in prayer services over the last 7-8 years and our thanksgiving service is always one of my favorites.

Checkout My Outline Below

We open with a song- usually one by Cedarmont Kids
After an opening prayer we listen to a reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Colossians (3:16-17). We follow the first reading with the responsorial psalm and then the reading of the Gospel- the feeding of the 5 thousand. I like to use the St. Mary’s Press Children’s bible version of the bible passages, as it is usually easier for students to understand.
Once the readings are done and I’ve given a brief reflection on them, I read the story The Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera. This is a sweet story about the impact of a thank you note. I love giving students an action to complete while at the prayer service, so next we took about 10-15 minutes and students decorated and wrote their own thank you note. We finished up the activity by blessing the thank you notes.
Then it was time for the petitions, which all focused around the idea of gratitude and all the things/people we are thankful for.
We finish up with a closing prayer and another Cedarmont Kids song.

I hope this sparks some inspiration for your Thanksgiving prayer service. And if you are looking to keep things super easy, be sure to grab my complete Thanksgiving Prayer Service here. It will be a prayer service your students won’t soon forget.

Are you looking for more engaging Catholic resources? Learn more about my Seton Scholars Teacher Membership for Catholic Educators here. My prayer service, mentioned above, is included in this low-cost teacher membership.

You can also join me on Facebook at the Community for Catholic Educators. This is a free group where Catholic school teachers come to share ideas and collaborate!