Hello and welcome to Virtual Kids Create! This is a self-paced version of the monthly kids day we host at the Poetry Center and includes age-appropriate language arts workshops for children from infancy to ten-years-old, developed by our incredible facilitators. November's theme is Gratitude and activities include read- and sing-a-longs, a land acknowledgement exercise for kiddos, and an exercise that asks older kids to write about what they're grateful for in the shape of a heart. Feel free to use this as a guide to create your own, at-home, structured Kids Create, or pick and choose activities you think the kids in your household might enjoy.

Infant to 3-year-old read-a-loud & sing-a-long:

In this video, Kathy Sutton reads three books: Bear Says Thanks by Karma Wilson, Thankful by Eileen Spinelli, and You're Here for a Reason by Nancy Tillman:

When you're done, enjoy this sing- and read-a-long, featuring Muriel Feelings' Moja Means One: A Swahili Counting Book, with musician and teacher Gabrielle Pietrangelo:

4-6-year-old writing workshop: Gratitude Through Acknowledgement

"We gather today in this beautiful place we call home to acknowledge the Tohono O’odham people as the traditional custodians of the land upon which we meet, live, go to school, play and where we call home."

Youngsters write, draw, and reflect in this land acknowledgement exercise developed by Raquel Gutiérrez.

7-10-year-old writing workshop: The Shape of Gratitude

In this prompt by Chalese Potts, young writers list things they're thankful for and then turn them into a poem in the shape of a heart! As a bonus, you can share your poem with someone you're grateful for.