Thoroughly Thankful

David C Cook COVID-19 Response

Upper Elementary

Lesson 8
Fall 2020
By: RLD Editorial Team
October 25, 2020

Lesson Focus:

Thank God in good times and bad.

Bible Basis:

1 Samuel 31; 2 Samuel 5-6; 1 Chronicles 13-16

Materials Needed:

Step 1:

Internet access

Step 4:

Pieces of paper (1 per student)
Writing utensils

Summary & Links:

In order to introduce the lesson topic, students will talk about their attitudes in good and bad situations and watch a video about thankfulness.

Memory Verse:

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
—1 Thessalonians 5:18

In order to introduce the lesson topic, students will talk about their attitudes in good and bad situations and watch a video about thankfulness.

Materials Needed:

Internet access

Today’s lesson deals with how King David reacted to his circumstances. To get your students thinking about how they feel in different situations, start by asking a few questions about their experiences. Have you ever paid attention to the way you react when the unexpected happens? We can learn a lot about ourselves if we stop and take a look at our attitude.

Tell about a time you had a really good surprise! How did you react? (Be prepared to share your own story to prompt discussion.)
What’s the most disappointed you’ve ever been? (Encourage students to discuss, but be careful to avoid gossip or oversharing.)
Have you ever tried to be thankful even when you were disappointed or things weren’t quite what you expected? What happened? (Answers may vary.)

It’s easy to be thankful when we have everything we want, but it’s a little more challenging to stay positive and thankful when things are tough!

Play the following video for your students [1:27]:
The Importance of Gratitude

What do these children teach us about being grateful even in hard times? (Answers may vary.)

It’s easier to be thankful when we remember just how fortunate we are. In today’s lesson, someone chose to be thankful even though it would have been easy not to. Let’s find out why.

Looking for Steps 2 & 3?

You can find Steps 2 and 3 in your teacher’s guide. To purchase a teacher’s guide, please visit: Bible-in-Life or Echoes.

Materials Needed:

Pieces of paper (1 per student)
Writing utensils

If your class is meeting online, have students bring pieces of paper and pens/pencils with them to class.

As students clean up from Step 3, move back toward the lesson focus. David was serious about giving thanks to God for his situation. He set a good example for us!

What are some reasons why you might have trouble being thankful in good times and bad? (Possible answers: Forgetting what God has already done for us; focusing on ourselves too much.)

Being thankful in good times and bad isn’t something that comes naturally; it takes practice. Let’s spend some time brainstorming different situations we might be faced with in the upcoming weeks—times that it might be challenging to remember to be thankful. For example, you might find out that you have more work to do than you expected, or you might not get to do something you were looking forward to.

Pass out paper and writing utensils. If your class is meeting online, invite them to get their papers and writing utensils. Ask students to write down their ideas. Once the students have had a few minutes, ask for volunteers to share their ideas with the class.

Are these situations you’ve faced in the past? How did you react the last time you were faced with something like this? (Allow brief time to share.)

This week, use one of the ideas we discussed as a reminder to always be thankful. Think about the situations you’re facing and come up with a way to still thank God even if things don’t always go according to what you expected. Take notes on some of the things that happened and what you did to remain thankful; we would love to hear about them next week!

Close in prayer.

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In some lessons, we may provide you with suggestions of third party content or provide links to third party websites that may align with the lesson topic. At the time a lesson is written, our editors carefully review the cited third party content and websites. However, we do not own or control the third party content or websites and they may change over time including, for example, the addition of advertisements, suggested content, pop-ups, etc on a website page that may not be appropriate for children or classroom use. We take no responsibility for such third party content or websites or for your use of them, including your use of them in a lesson. Please review each cited content or website carefully before utilizing in a lesson.

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David C Cook COVID-19 Response

Upper Elementary