Seek and Find Treasures of Gratitude in Your Home

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. With gratitude as the true centerpiece, friends and family are reminded why they’re grateful for one another, and it gives them pause to consider what’s truly important on the other 364 days of the year.

But what if we became intentional to discover evidence of God’s goodness every day of the year in places we see on the most ordinary days? And what if our children and grandchildren caught the joy of discovering God and His provisions in their own living spaces? 

Invite your children and grandchildren to a treasure hunt in your home. This hunt is designed for children and adults of all ages. Along the way, children will collect a small treasure that ties into the gratitude prompt. The goal of the hunt isn’t to have the right answers, but to raise awareness of how a grateful heart can burst through everyday life. 

Let’s begin at the front door (or any door): 

Children: Who are you always happy to see walk through this door? Or, what’s something kind someone brought to your home? Share a cut-out or coloring sheet with a home. Ask them to write the names of those they love or visit your home. (Their “treasure” could be hung by their beds as a reminder to pray for those in their “home” before bedtime.) 

Adults: Ask them to consider who has entered their home at just the right moment, bringing them joy and reminding them that God cares about the details of their lives. 

For all: How can we bless someone during this season by entering their home? 

Living Space: 

Children: “What makes you laugh when you’re in this room?” Or what do you enjoy doing most in this space?” Spend a few moments talking about these experiences, adding how God is joy and delights in His children. Share a star (or tiny flashlight) to remind them of the light God shines in our homes through fun, games, stories, etc. 

Adults: When have you most experienced God’s peace in this room? How have you seen evidence of God’s faithfulness in your home? 

For all: Who can we show our gratitude to by “shining God’s light” in welcoming them into our living space during this celebratory season? 

Kitchen: 

It’s no surprise this space is often referred to as the “hub of the home”. Activities swarm in the kitchen. Cooking, catching up with children after school, one-on-one chats, teaching our children or grandchildren to bake, etc. For some, it’s also where we enjoy our meals. 

Children: What’s your favorite meal here? Who provides for the foods we enjoy? Share a plate of sliced apples, reminding them how God provides for their needs and how they are the apple of God’s eye, very precious to Him (Psalm 17:8).

Adults: Consider how God has provided for you, both tangibly and intangibly, this year. Perhaps in ways no one else has seen but you. Spend a few moments giving Him thanks while you also enjoy a slice of apple.

For all: What’s one dish we could make together with a grateful heart to share with neighbors or someone in need at our church?  

Let’s finish the hunt in the laundry room: 

I dreaded laundry until I began seeing each piece as a blessing from the Lord.

Children: What’s your favorite outfit to wear? How does it feel to put on clean, yummy-smelling clothes? Who do we have to thank for our clean clothes? 

Because this is the last pause, we’ll end with a fun game of hide and seek. (Before the treasure hunt, purchase a pair of white socks.) Show the socks and say that just as mom or dad make our clothes clean and turn dirty socks white, Jesus does much more by making our hearts clean, white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). Take one sock (maybe fill it with candy or other goody) and hide it in the home for them to find when you’re ready.

Adults: Look more closely at your basket full of clothes and what it represents. For example, sports uniforms remind us to be grateful for healthy children. Work clothes remind us of God’s provision. Warm sweaters remind us of God’s warmth, care, and love for us.

For all: Go through laundry together as a family, identifying opportunities for gratefulness, what our clothes truly represent.

End your treasure hunt in prayer, thanking God for the blessings you’ve been reminded of today.