Come Follow Me: 1 & 2 Peter (November 25-December 1)

I'm sorry I am late again!  I'll get it together one of these weeks :)  This week we are covering 1 Peter and 2 Peter.  I chose to focus on 1 Peter 1:6–7; 3:14 with the topic of I can find joy and peace even during hard times. With Thanksgiving this week what better way to teach that having an attitude of gratitude helps us find joy even when things aren't going perfect.  President Nelson taught “When the focus of our lives is on … Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him.”  

There are several ways we can feel joy and peace during hard times.  I loved the suggestions in the manuals to share some of the hard things the Savior or Joseph Smith went through.  Peter or Nephi would also be great examples.  You can use these pages as a journal or write some ideas your family comes up with and display for the week.

Another idea I had is to sing or listen to the song "count your blessings."  Then play one or all of the following games.

The first is a quick ABC game.  Print and pass one of the following pages out to each person (or teams if you have young children).  Quickly write one thing you are thankful for for each letter of the alphabet.  Then share your lists.  A twist on this game would be to sit in a circle and the first person starts by saying I'm thankful for (a word that starts with A), then the next person says I'm thank for (the first person's word), and (a word that starts with B).  Continue around the circle through the whole alphabet!  It similar to that game I'm going on a trip and I'm going to take a.... I'm not sure if you've played that game before.

 The final game is one of our favorites.  Roll a turkey.  You'll need a turkey and feathers for each person. Cut out the pieces.  If you want to save ink you can draw each turkey piece as you roll.  The first person will roll the dice.  If they get a 4 they get the feather with the 4 but they have to say something they are thankful for.  The turkey is #1.  If they already have rolled that number they say another thing they are thankful for but do not get to take another piece.  The first person to  get all 6 pieces wins.  If you want you can have them glue their turkeys together and draw or write something they are thankful for on each feather.

I really love this video from President Monson and it goes really great with this theme.

That's all for this week.  I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  As always if you have any questions or trouble with the download please let me know.  This was a quick write up so I'm sure there are some confusing instructions :) We will be busy with family this week but I'll try and hop on but email is probably best!

Download Free Printables Here

5 Gratitude Activities for Kids (+Free Printables)

This time of year, it’s easy to remember to be thankful. From supportive family and friends

to a roof over your head, we can find something each day that is special. Did you know it’s been

scientifically proven that practicing gratitude makes you happier? Why not do it more often then?

Teaching your kids gratitude is a great way to grow closer together and raise happy, positive-thinkers.

Ultimately though, it starts with you setting a good example for them to follow. It can be hard to be grateful when we have a tough day, but remember that even the little moments are a blessing. Show your children that there is a lot to be thankful for—both big and small. 

To help practice gratitude, check out these five gratitude printables from Bestow that feature games

and activities for your family. These can be done year-round to inspire some positivity. 

Gratitude Tree

Thank You Notes

Gratitude Jar

Gratitude Scavenger Hunt

Gratitude Yoga Flow

Set aside some time with your kids to write down the things you’re thankful for or go on a fun

photo scavenger hunt to capture the memories. No matter how you show it, find ways to

appreciate life’s little moments. What are you thankful for today?

Free Turkey Color Games

We are focusing on colors this week and these adorable turkeys make learning so much fun.  I have three game options and a couple of additional ideas for you.

 The I spy hunts are always a favorite!  I also love to get the most out of my printables as I can that is why I plan to have my kids find the turkeys.  Identify the color, match it to the recording sheet and then "feed" the turkeys pom poms or buttons.  You can also add a dice to get in some counting as well.  So many options with this set.  I love it.

 How cute are these turkeys :) If you have really little ones you do not need to use all of the cards.  I sometimes put out 4 to 6 for my little one and then add more colors as we go.

Normally I add the free download right here but I decided to try something new.  I just opened a Teacher Pay Teacher store and have added this download for free in my store.  You do need to sign up for a free account but it is totally worth it!  You will find tons of amazing activities and this is where I get all of my adorable clip art.  There are lots of free options as well as paid.  Anyway head over to my new shop and grab your free printable turkey game :)  

*I have not decided if I am going to start posting all of my preschool printables over there or keep some here.  It will probably be a mix.  All of the Come Follow Me lesson helps will stay on my website.

Letter T mini books (free printables)

We love using these mini letter books.  I like to print and use it as a coloring book and we read it all week.  

I also included these cute cards.  I am printing and hanging them on our wall for the week.  I'm planning on making some for each letter.

I already posted this one but I thought I'd include it for convenience. 

Download here 

Also this is our favorite activity.  You can find the download here.

Color sort turkey (free printable)

This is an easy prep activity that your kids will love...just print and go!  

We used pompoms but you can also use buttons, skittles, dot markers or whatever you have on hand. For younger kids you can even forget about the color matching and use it just a fine motor activity.  in this case you can use anything!  My favorite is something like cheerios or another kind of cereal. For an extra challenge we used our tweezers to pick up the poms but my little guy (he's 3) used his fingers. 

 Download the free printable here

T is for Turkey Tracer page

I love teaching with a theme.  It just makes planning so much easier and the kids are excited.  We are working on T is for turkey and Thanksgiving.  Here's a cute worksheet to practice those letter t writing skills.  Bonus it works as a coloring page too!  Watch for more letter t and turkey fun coming.

Download here

Adorable graphics and fonts from Kimberly Geswein Fonts & Krista Wallden - Creative Clips

9 Free Thanksgiving Printables

Can you believe October is already over and Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  This time of year is so fun but can be crazy busy.  I love decorating for the holidays and  Printables make it so easy and quick.  Pick your favorite/favorites, print, and frame. These are all sized as 8x10 prints.

*please note these are for personal use only*

 You have three options to download.  

1. click on the link below each picture and download to your computer.  Sized as 8x10

2. click on the picture.  Right click and save to your computer or copy and paste in a word document.  Sized as 8x10.  However you can always insert into a word document and resize to fit your needs.

Print from home or send to your favorite print shop.

3. click on the PDF link after the last printable This will allow you to easily print from your computer with out worrying about sizing.

Option 1

 Option 2

 Option 3

 Option 4

 Option 5

Option 6

 Option 7

PDF Download 1 (#1-4)

PDF Download 2 (#5-7)

Exclusive Prints

These next two prints are available to those that have subscribed to my newsletter. The watermark will not be on the print.   Check your latest email for the link to my exclusive prints.  These were just added to the Thanksgiving Folder.  If you need the code again or have any problems downloading the prints please contact me.

Haven't subscribed yet?  No problem.  You can quickly sign up on my sidebar.  Don't worry I only send emails when I have something awesome to share with you...like this!

Mini Gratitude Journals and printable

Whenever November comes around we automatically start thinking of all we have to be grateful for.  Its so wonderful!  Gratitude is something that I want my children to learn and of course is always something I can work on as well.  I have a cute sign in my house that says "there is always, always, always something to be thankful for."  I leave it up year round because being thankful shouldn't just happen around Thanksgiving.

I found this adorable idea here.  I modified it a little bit for cost and ease (also I'm using for an activity with 16 yes 16 8-11 year old girls so these were important).  You can find awesome detailed instructions on her site but here's a basic how-to with my changes and a few tips.

You need:
white cardstock 1 sheet will make 2 (I used regular 8 1/2 x11)
A pack of index cards (I found mine at walmart 100 for less then a dollar)
ribbon
scrapbook paper (scraps work great)
anything to use as embellishments (I used ric rac and some flowers I already had.  Stickers, stamps, or just paper work great too)
glue
scissors or paper cutter
hole punch
tape

1. hole punch your index cards.  I used 12 per book.
2. cut your cardstock 3" by 11"

3. fold your cardstock in half and hole punch.  Use your index cards as a template.
4.  pull ribbon through the holes and tie off.  You do not want your ribbon to tight or the book will not lay very flat when you try to write inside.  Use a pencil or finger to give you enough space.  Another tip...wrap a small amount of tape around the end of the ribbon to make it easier to pull through.
5. decorate!

Here are the printables I made for the front cover.  Copy and paste into a word document. Size them to 2x2 and print. 

I challenged the girls (and myself) to write at least 1 thing they are thankful for a day between now and Thanksgiving.  If they wanted a bigger challenge add 5 a day!  I hope this will get them thinking about all we have to be thankful for.

Free Thanksgiving Printable

I love this time of year.  As the weather turns colder and the holiday season begins it seems natural to reflect on the blessings around us.  I know life seems to get extra busy this time of year but I hope this little reminder will make me slow down and remember what's really important.

 If you would like to print one for yourself just click on the image below and save it to your computer.  Another easy way is to copy and paste in a word document.  Its sized to fit a 5x7 frame.

Count your blessings

I made this quote using my cricut (the tree is from here).  I didn't place my leaves exactly like the cut out but I love how it turned out.  Its a wonderful reminder.

I love November because it so focused on giving thanks and remembering what we are thankful for.  Here are a few things I'm thankful for:  My kids, my hubby, the gospel, my family, my friends, my husbands job, a place to live, all of you, and so much more.  You will probably see a lot of project this month focused on being thankful.  What things are you thankful for?