Gratitude – Summer

SUMMER FUN

ON WHEELS

School on Wheels Social and Emotional Learning

Gratitude

Feeling gratitude can help us in many ways: to feel happy and healthy, to face challenges, and to get along better with family and friends. Gratitude means much more than saying thank you! It also has a domino effect: when someone feels grateful, they’re more likely to acknowledge the help they’ve received and feel motivated to help others in the future. Get ready to experience the endless positive effects of feeling and expressing gratitude!

Complete all activities in order. Click the “Session” headings below to open each lesson plan.

Reminders for students and tutors:
● Listen with interest.
● Participate.
● Ask open-ended questions.
● Choose the best way for each of you to reflect and show your learning.

Tutoring tips for complex ideas:

  • Use simple language and short sentences.
  • Give examples before asking students to respond.
  • Pause and check for understanding.
  • Encourage student to explain their thinking in different ways.

Packet Completion Prize Information:
Your student is eligible for a prize after completing all of the activities below! You will find the link to the completion form at the end of Activity #3 – please complete it together when you’ve finished all of the activities on this page.

The Hunt for Gratitude

It’s time to look for moments of gratitude in everyday things!

5 min: S.E.L. Check-in activity

Discussion & guiding questions:

  • Do you remember the last time you said thank you to someone, or someone said thank you to you? What was the situation?
  • What was the last thing that made each of you (tutor and student) smile or laugh out loud? During that experience, did you feel grateful? If not, what else were you feeling?

Tell your student that gratitude is more than just saying thank you. Gratitude can be expressed in many different ways, and later in this tutoring session you will go on a “scavenger hunt” to find some of the ways!

5 min: Session review & preview

Review the previous session and the School on Wheels 2026 Community Padlet.

Reminder: During your session, take a screenshot of your student’s work to add to the Padlet later. You can also summarize what you worked on if you are not comfortable taking screenshots.

Preview the plan for today.

15 min: Core Program activity (Literacy, Academic, BUS)

5 min: Break

20 min: S.E.L. Summer Program activity

Go on a Gratitude Scavenger Hunt!

  • Follow the prompts on the Scavenger Hunt Worksheet to find, think of, discuss, or draw what makes each of you feel grateful!

5 min: S.E.L. Check-out activity

Choose between the two options to wrap up your hunt for gratitude.

  • Discuss the following: Now that you’ve begun to explore gratitude, do you have a different understanding than before? Did you learn something new to be grateful for? Why is it important to find gratitude in small or unexpected things?
  • Watch this video of Kid President’s 25 Reasons To Be Thankful then talk about anything he had on his list that you are also grateful for!

Ask your student to continue hunting for things to be grateful for between now and your next tutoring session. Let them know you will continue hunting as well so you can share at your next session.

Go to the School on Wheels 2026 Community Padlet to post about today’s session.

Submit a screenshot, or if unfamiliar with taking screenshots, you can summarize what you and your student worked on.

Ripples of Gratitude

Get ready to influence the world with your feelings of gratitude!

5 min: S.E.L. Check-in activity

Discussion & guiding questions:

  • A ripple starts in one spot and gets bigger and bigger and bigger. What does this mean to you? Since our last tutoring session, do you have more appreciation for the little things around you? Have you noticed things you didn’t notice before?

Then, watch one of these videos together:

5 min: Session review & preview

Review the previous session and the School on Wheels 2026 Community Padlet.

Reminder: During your session, take a screenshot of your student’s work to add to the Padlet later. You can also summarize what you worked on if you are not comfortable taking screenshots.

Preview the plan for today.

15 min: Core Program activity (Literacy, Academic, BUS)

5 min: Break

20 min: S.E.L. Summer Program activity

Tell your student you will help them make a plan to say thank you to someone: immediate family, tutor, shelter staff, fictional character, community member, artist, or themselves!

Your student can write a letter, draw a picture, or make a list of things they can do to show gratitude (a hug, help clean up, a high five, etc.).

  • You can also use this worksheet as a template or inspiration: Gratitude Letter

Guiding questions: Consider who this person is to you. What do you appreciate about them? Do you have any memories you are grateful for that you want to share?

5 min: S.E.L. Check-out activity

Tell your student that you can even feel grateful for people you do not know!
Discussion questions:

  • Is there an invention that they think is awesome and useful? Who invented it?
  • Is there a historical figure who made a big impact that you’re grateful for?

Talk about how you would thank this individual for their contribution (or draw how the invention helps you).

Go to the School on Wheels 2026 Community Padlet to post about today’s session.

Submit a screenshot, or if unfamiliar with taking screenshots, you can summarize what you and your student worked on.

Gratitude for Self

Are you grateful that you’re you? We are!

5 min: S.E.L. Check-in activity

Choose one of the following videos to watch together:

Guiding questions: How did you feel during the video? Have you ever tried either meditation or reflective self-talk before?

5 min: Session review & preview

Review the previous session and the School on Wheels 2026 Community Padlet.

Reminder: During your session, take a screenshot of your student’s work to add to the Padlet later. You can also summarize what you worked on if you are not comfortable taking screenshots.

Preview the plan for today.

15 min: Core Program activity (Literacy, Academic, BUS)

5 min: Break

20 min: S.E.L. Summer Program activity

You and your student have discussed gratitude for others and the world around you. Now it’s time to share aspects of yourselves that you are grateful for!

  • Using the I am grateful I am me worksheet, help your student fill in each section with something about themselves that they are grateful for. It can be about their personality, appearance, accomplishments, behavior, etc.

Tutor: Support your student’s thinking by mentioning times you have also felt grateful for them. For example, if your student says they are grateful that they don’t give up, respond with moments when you noticed they didn’t give up.

  • If comfortable, share some things about yourself that you are grateful for too!

5 min: S.E.L. Check-out activity

*This reflection can be a conversation or silent, written down, drawn or doodled… However you and your student prefer to reflect.
What is something that you feel grateful for about yourself? Complete this sentence, describing something about yourself: “I’m grateful for _________ my because it/they make me feel _________.”

  • For example: “I’m grateful for my brain because it makes me feel happy.”; “I’m grateful for my legs because they make me feel fast.”; “I’m grateful for my heart because it makes me feel strong.”
  • BONUS: Play some gratitude brain wave music while you visualize or discuss.
Go to the School on Wheels 2026 Community Padlet to post about today’s session.

Submit a screenshot, or if unfamiliar with taking screenshots, you can summarize what you and your student worked on.

You did it! Congratulations on completing the GRATITUDE summer activities!

Click here to fill out the completion form…
(and let us know it’s time to send your student their prize!)