Thanksgiving gratitude prompts
Forty questions to write about before the holiday, ask around the table, or use with kids.
Thanksgiving is the one day of the year built around gratitude, and it still tends to come down to a rushed "I'm thankful for my family" before the food gets cold. These 40 prompts help you go a little deeper, whether you're writing in a journal, going around the table, or talking with kids.
In 2026, US Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26. In Canada it was on Monday, October 12, but the prompts work any day of the year.
For your journal
Write three answers to one prompt, the night before or the morning of.
- What from this year are you grateful for that you didn't see coming?
- Who showed up for you this year?
- Which tradition are you glad to keep, and why?
- Which ordinary day from this year would you happily live again?
- What did you learn this year that changed how you see something?
- What problem from last year is solved now?
- Who are you grateful for but rarely tell?
- What did your home give you this year?
- Which small pleasure carried you through busy weeks?
- What would you like to be grateful for by next Thanksgiving?
For the table
Easy to answer out loud, hard to answer with "my family".
- Apart from today, what's the best thing you ate this year?
- What's something you're grateful for that cost less than five dollars?
- Who at this table helped you this year without being asked?
- Which Thanksgiving memory do you always come back to?
- What did you learn from someone sitting here?
- What made you laugh hardest this year?
- Which place you visited this year would you go back to?
- What skill are you glad someone taught you?
- What are you grateful for that you only noticed recently?
- If you could thank one person who isn't here today, who would it be?
For kids
Short, concrete, and fine to answer with one word.
- What was the best part of your day?
- Who makes you feel safe?
- What's your favorite thing to do with your family?
- Which toy, book or game are you glad you have?
- Who was kind to you at school this week?
- What can you do now that you couldn't do last year?
- What's your favorite food on the table today?
- Which animal are you thankful for, and why?
- What's something outside that you love?
- Who would you like to say thank you to?
When this year was hard
Gratitude doesn't mean pretending a hard year was a good one. These prompts leave room for both.
- What helped you get through this year?
- Who stayed close when things were difficult?
- What do you remember most fondly about someone you miss?
- What small thing still brought you comfort?
- What did you get through that you once thought you couldn't?
- What are you allowed to rest from today?
- Which kindness from this year do you want to remember?
- What do you still have, even after what you lost?
- What are you looking forward to, however small?
- How would you thank yourself for this year?
How to run a gratitude round at the table
- Pick one question for everyone. The same prompt for the whole table makes answers easier to compare and to laugh about.
- Let kids go first. They're quick, and they set an honest tone.
- Allow a pass. Anyone can say "pass" and come back at the end. Pressure kills it.
- Keep it to one round. Five minutes, then eat.
- Write the answers down. Read last year's answers before this year's round. It becomes a tradition fast.
Want to keep going after the holiday? The 30-day gratitude challenge has a prompt for every day, and there are 100 more gratitude journal prompts for the rest of the year.