If you’d like to give gratitude and thankfulness a boost in your home, gratitude stones are a wonderful incentive. They work for children and adults alike and both will love them! They are also wonderful for activities such as Thanksgiving Day dinner etc. And what a lovely positive gift when given inside our No-Sew Burlap Pouches.
Supplies
- Small stones. These don’t need to be perfectly smooth all around. There just needs to be a small flat surface on part of the stone to paint a heart.
- Gold and white paint or paint pens. (Or whatever colors you like. The type of activity may determine the choices.)
- Clear spray coating for stones, or Mod Podge. (Optional but gives them a finished look and nice shine.)
- Downloaded poems/tags.
Download
Tags and Poems (pdf)
READ THE POEM INCLUDED IN THE KIT ABOVE
Instructions
There are a variety of ways you can use these. Here are some suggestions:
SMALL GROUP SETTING ACTIVITY #1
Give everyone a small handful or pouch of stones. There needs to be one stone per person in attendance in each pouch if possible and each set MUST have different colors with no duplicates. Meaning a set of green hearts… a set of red hearts… etc. Change them by doing hearts with different outlined colors.
RULES
During the event or dinner everyone is to give a stone to another person. When someone receives a stone they must say something they are grateful for.
The thing they are grateful for must be specific and they have to say WHY they are grateful for it. No general things such as “home” or “family.” Try to encourage gratitude for things they take for granted or for specific people.
Every stone must be given to those who have NOT received one yet. If a person has received one they must find someone who hasn’t. Everyone has to give away ALL their ORIGINAL stones. (They will be left with a variety of colors.)
GOAL
To get rid of all their own stones and receive all new ones. It’s easy to keep track because they started out with stones of all one color.
GROUP ACTIVITY #2
Have an even amount of stones. Half are one color of hearts, the other half are another color. Put the stones in a deep bag. Everyone draws a stone. If they get a stone with a certain color heart they say something they are grateful for. Other colored hearts means they choose someone else to say something they are grateful for. Adapts as desired.
AS A GIFT
Give your children, family, friends etc. a pouch of stones. They are to put the stones around their room or home or work area. Every time they see one they are to STOP and think of something they are grateful for. It has to be different each time. You can use the printable tag and poem to go with the stones.
Make Your Thankfulness Gratitude Stones
Gather some smooth small stones. They don’t need to be perfect. Just so there is at least one flat side to paint your heart onto.
Using a paint brush or paint marker put a colored heart on each one.
Outline the hearts.
For a nice finish coat with Mod Podge or some spray gloss. 
You can visit our No Sew Burlap Pouches post to learn how to make these little pouches. These make awesome gifts combined with the printable poem and tag!
Learn how to make a variety of these super quick No-Sew Burlap Pouches.
Hello Nancy, I have never made a request like this before, so I hope I am doing it correctly, and appropriately. I would love to share this poem and rocks with our viewers at My Girlfriend’s Quilt Shoppe. Each month I do a tutorial for our Featherweight Singer sewing machines. I have a pattern for a small bag that I want to present. I would like your poem and rocks to go with my presentation. Can you tell me if this is possible? Thank you so much. Of course I would need to talk with Kris Thurgood the owner and make sure it is okay also.
ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS IDEA AS A GIFT TO MY STUDENTS PARENTS AND MY FAMILY THANK YOU
Hi Nancy,
I am doing a gratitude stones projects for Christmas in my area, and it was wonderful to find your site with extra activity ideas and the beautiful poem. I shared your site on my facebook group and i am sharing your poem (with the link to your site). Thank you for the ideas, tutorial and the beautiful page you created. Please continue with the good work, the world need more ideas like this and more people like you, sharing it. Gratitude!
Very good write-up. I certainly love this website.
Stick with it!
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I cannot wait to start making these AND the Handy dandy burlap bag. I love the idea for loved ones BUT I’m really excited to make some for random strangers and leave them to find so they take one out so they always have a gratitude stone to remind them that giving daily Thanks is so very important and passing a small but powerful reminder on to others is a great way that we can all have that much desired human connection and contact to pass along a little goodwill and positive thinking just to let them know that tee can still make the world a better place one stone unturned add a time. Might make a small difference to someone That’s having a really bad day and this might be exactly what they needed at that exact moment. that makes me happy. Thank you for the great tutorial and excellent job. i’ll be making any burlap bags as well and I can’t wait to get started thanks again for another great tutorial and excellent poem!
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Sure I do! That’s very weird… the link to subscribe is on several places, the bottom of each post, on every side bar and then the very top of every page is a wide bar with a subscribe link. Not sure why you might not be able to see them. Crazy computers. Everything appears fine on my side. Here is a direct page you can subscribe at: http://www.ourpeacefulplanet.com/subscribe
If you still have issues I can manually subscribe you if I have you email. Sorry your having problems with that.
So gorgeous! I wonder if I may share these images on my blog, directing readers back here, Nancy? I am writing a gratitude post and this is just so perfect! Thanks so much for this treat! Merry Christmas!
Of course you may share them Vidya. Thank you so much for the kind words.
Thank you so much! I recently started a Monday series called Mindful Mondays to write about mindful living, presence, meditation, self care, gratitude and similar topics. I’ll be including easy activities – and this one is just so perfect. Thank you for your generosity! I’ve signed up for your updates andI am looking forward to staying in touch!
You’re very welcome. You can use anything of mine you like as long as there are link backs. Most bloggers welcome that. Ü Good luck with your new series!
I love this idea. These are absolutely adorable!
Love these! Pinned!!
I love that this can help kids learn thankfulness and it doesn’t take much but a little rock in their pocket or on their dresser. Thanks for sharing this!!
You’re welcome Stephanie.
What a beautiful idea. These would be fun to make and fun to use.
Thanks Rose. Ü
Oh those are too cute!! Great idea for kids to help with too! Thanks for linking up to my DIY Crush party! I pinned it as well! Can’t wait to see what you will link up Thursday!!
Thank you Denise. Ü
Visiting from #InpireMeLink. Love this idea. My kiddos love rocks & I can see this being a very practical way to build gratitude in our home. Thanks!
Thanks Christina!
This is such a sweet activity thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
You bet. Thank you for visiting and commenting!
What a great idea!! I would love to have you share at my new link party: http://craftymomsshare.blogspot.com/2015/11/crafty-weekends-half-yard-christmas.html.
Adore this idea! Love the poem that goes with them too. I’m a total believer in keeping a Gratitude Journal and know first-hand the power of this simple ritual – transformative! Pinning to my Gift Idea Board to share.
Thanks Marie. Appreciate your kind comment. Ü
I work for a charity that provides counselling for people who have suffered trauma and I know some of my counsellor colleagues suggest their clients have a small pebble in their pocket to ground them in stressful or flashback situations. These, that have been decorated and given with love would be perfect for that.
You’re the second person to tell me something like this. The other one was on my post on stopping negative thoughts. I think I’ll add this on that post as another option. Thanks Julie!