Children's Formation Materials
Gratitude Based Formation Materials
UTO places a huge emphasis on teaching gratitude to children of all ages! UTO offers a variety of free resources for children’s formation materials, including a comprehensive VBS curriculum. Our resources are aimed at helping children understand the concept of gratitude and ways to live it out.
Vacation Bible School
Waves of Gratitude
Click here to learn more about the program and how to download it.
This Camp contains 5 days of VBS programming and materials for faith formation leaders. Every day will have a gratitude-based theme and an accompanying Bible story. Each Bible story and theme will get connected with a popular children’s story to help build connections. In addition, every day has 4 separate activities to engage participants: water activity, music and movement activity, a craft, and a STEAM project.
Gratitude Lesson Plan, Coloring Sheets, and Game
Lesson Plan – For use at home or with faith formation leaders. You can choose between a 30 minute lesson plan and a 50 minute lesson plan. Download here.
Color with Gratitude – Gratitude and justice based coloring sheets, created by Illustrated Ministry. Learn more here.
Gratitude Game – Pick up sticks, but with a gratitude twist! Download instructions here.
Calendar-based Materials
Practicing gratitude in November – Materials for families and faith formation leaders to teach elementary-aged kids about gratitude during November. We have also curated a list of external resources to help kids understand the context behind Thanksgiving. Learn more.
Practicing gratitude during Lent – While children clearly can grasp right from wrong, the idea of repentance can be challenging. One of the things that we can help children focus on is noticing the good things that happen and seeing God amid our daily lives. Learn more.
Stewardship
Gratitude-based stewardship lesson plan for children, to help kids recognize their own gifts and turn those into gifts for others. Complete with a paper chain activity! Learn more.