About This Lesson
Use this template for your staff to write a gratitude letter to the community! Our schools rely on strong community support to be our best. When was the last time your team THANKED the community?
At your next faculty meeting or during a PD day, have each school member (teacher, paraprofessional, counselor) reflect on why they’re thankful for the community. Begin the meeting by discussing ways everyone is thankful for the community. Then, hand out sticky notes to capture each person’s response. Finally, have each person write a gratitude letter to someone in the community who has positively impacted them. Compile all
the letters and send them to the mayor or board president, or share them in your newsletter.
Here’s what you’ll get:
- A structured gratitude exercise that encourages faculty and staff to reflect and thank community members for their support, and prompts group discussions and individual gratitude letters to be sent to local leaders, such as the mayor or board president.
- Access to Gratitude Letter Writing lesson plans and a unit study
Why you’ll love this activity:
- Perfect for faculty meetings or professional development days, with a printable template to guide reflective writing
- Great activity for Thanksgiving and the holiday season
- The activity is easy to print and customize
- Reflecting and writing gratitude letters can positively benefit both the writer and the recipient.
- The associated free unit study for Gratitude Letter Writing comes with activities, downloadable worksheets, and even IEP and BIP recommendations tailored specifically to students with autism.
Ways to Use
- Incorporate this SEL activity into faculty meetings
- Integrate into professional development meetings
- Families can use this at home, too!
What is Gratitude Letter Writing?
Gratitude is often thought of as thankfulness, appreciation, or a sense of wonder. By intentionally practicing skills like Gratitude Letter Writing, we can all learn to experience, enhance, and express more gratitude.
A Gratitude Letter is more than just a thank-you note. It's a formal letter that you write to someone who has had a profound impact on your life and whom you have not yet properly thanked. This could be a family member, mentor, student, friend, or colleague.
In this activity, staff will reflect on the people who have helped shape their lives — people who have taken the time to share their strengths with them, guide them, or help them in a meaningful way. Then, they can write a letter that thoroughly expresses their gratitude — describing, in detail, what the person’s role in their lives has meant to them. Once you have written the Gratitude Letter, hand deliver or read the letter to the person if possible. Something remarkable happens when gratitude letters are shared in person.
Science of Gratitude
The science is clear — pausing, reflecting, and writing gratitude letters can positively benefit both the writer and the recipient. Recalling past experiences through the lens of gratitude enhances positive affect, writing about them enables the mind to broaden and build, and taking the time to deliver and read gratitude letters to the recipient boosts both parties' wellbeing and has a positive impact on the relationship. Believe it or not, this positive intervention can impact your wellbeing for weeks or even months.
People who engage in the practice of writing gratitude letters are more likely to experience:
- Increased happiness
- Boosted immune system
- Increased positive affect
- Increased life satisfaction
- Enhanced gratitude
- Stronger relationships
Looking for more gratitude resources?
- Explore the free Gratitude Letter Writing Unit Study, which includes teaching slides, additional worksheets and activities, and even IEP and BIP recommendations tailored specifically to students with autism.
- Bonus access to full lesson plans and unit studies on the skills of happiness at our Skill Center
Proof Positive's resources are and will always be free. Be well!
