☕Each child colors a cozy mug of hot cocoa and fills it with marshmallows that name the people, places and things they are thankful for. The finished mugs line up under "Our Cups Are Full of Thanks!" for a warm November display.
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The Gratitude Mug Craft is a 31-page Thanksgiving writing and SEL resource for kindergarten through 5th grade. Students color a hot cocoa mug and add marshmallows that name what they are grateful for, then write about their choices and share them with classmates.
Four mug designs give options for every class: My Gratitude Mug, a Cup of Thanks Name Mug, a Thankful Thoughts Writing Mug and a Design-Your-Own Mug. Mini mugs print two to a page for smaller displays or cards. The marshmallow writing pieces come in three levels, from tracing picture words in K–1, to writing a word in 2nd and 3rd grade, to "I'm Grateful For... Because..." sentences in 4th and 5th grade, with a blank set for flexibility.
Talking comes before writing. A What Is Gratitude? anchor page introduces the idea, eight Think-Pair-Share discussion cards get students speaking and listening, and A Recipe for a Grateful Heart activity offers a playful way to describe what gratitude looks like. A picture word bank with 20 original icons and two leveled brainstorm pages help students gather ideas.
Writing pages move from draw and trace to a sentence frame, a paragraph planner and final copy pages, so younger and older writers can each produce finished work. A family gratitude note with a family marshmallow invites home participation.
The bulletin board kit includes large GRATEFUL letters, "Our Cups Are Full of Thanks!" title strips and heart and marshmallow decorations. A three-day lesson plan and teacher notes with standards support Thanksgiving lessons, writing centers, morning meetings, buddy classes, sub plans and homeschool.
📖 Teaching guide · 11 min readFrom Talk to Writing: A Hot Cocoa Gratitude Lesson for K–5Read the guide →Students talk through their ideas before writing, so even reluctant writers have something to say. Three levels of marshmallow pieces and writing pages let a whole school, from kindergarten to 5th grade, build the same display with age-appropriate work.
Kindergarten through 5th grade. The marshmallow writing pieces have levels for K–1, 2–3 and 4–5, plus a blank set.
Yes. It includes large GRATEFUL letters, "Our Cups Are Full of Thanks!" title strips and heart and marshmallow decorations.
A 3-day lesson plan is included, along with teacher notes with standards.
Yes. A family gratitude note comes with a family marshmallow so families can add their own thanks.
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