Don't Grumble, Say Thanks

Host Welcome to the Train Station, Jr. Conductors! I have a question for you. Do you know what special holiday we are celebrating this month?

Co-Host It’s not Christmas, and it’s not Easter. Do you know what it is? My hat/costume is a hint.

Host You’re right, it’s Thanksgiving. What do we usually eat on Thanksgiving? That’s right; we eat a big turkey.

Co-Host What sound does a turkey make? Gobble, gobble! Let’s practice our turkey sounds. Turn to a friend and say, “Gobble, gobble!”

Host Thanksgiving is a holiday that reminds us to say, “Thanks.” We can say thanks even when we don’t feel like it.

Co-Host Even when someone takes the last yummy roll at Thanksgiving dinner? Wow, I definitely want to hear today’s Big Point so I can make that choice.

Host Be sure to listen closely. Let’s stand and make a loud, “Choo-choo!”

Host I thought that Lionel would be happy that his family is visiting. Is Lionel happy or upset? He’s very upset.

Co-Host What did Conductor Carl say that Lionel was doing? Did he say he was mumbling? Let’s talk softly. Did he say he was tumbling? Let’s roll our hands over and over like a tumbling rock.

Host Did he say he was bubbling? Let’s make bubbles with our mouths. What did he say? That’s right, Conductor Carl said Lionel was grumbling.

Co-Host What does it mean to grumble? (Pause) It means that Lionel was talking a lot about what he doesn’t like. What makes you want to grumble? (Allow for answers)

Host There are times that all of us feel like grumbling, but is that the right choice? No. Whenever we feel like grumbling, we need to remember our Big Point. Let’s practice it now.

Co-Host It’s hard to say thank you and grumble at the same time. Let’s try that. Say “thank you” and say the word “grumble” at the same time. Do that on the count of three. Use your fingers to count with me. 1, 2, 3.

(Try saying both phrases at the same time. Practice this several times.)

Host If we want to show thankfulness, then we need to stop grumbling. Let’s try that now. I want you all to start saying, “Grumble, grumble” over and over. When I say, “Stop,” stop grumbling and say, “Thanks.”

(Have the kids practice stopping several times.)

Co-Host Good job! Let’s see if Lionel can stop grumbling.

Host Why was Lionel hiding in the tree house? (Pause) That’s right; he was hiding from his family.

Co-Host Thankfully Engineer Kelly helped Lionel learn the Big Point. Let’s stand and say the Big Point,

Co-Host Don’t Grumble, Say Thanks!

Host We have lots of chances to choose to say “thank you” or to choose to grumble.

Co-Host Let’s use our imagination to pretend it is Thanksgiving dinner. What kinds of food do you eat at Thanksgiving? (Allow for answers) What is your favorite dessert? (Have the kids describe the food and pretend to eat it) Mmm, that sounds delicious.

Host What is something you do not like to eat? (Pause) What do you say when you see that yucky food on your plate at Thanksgiving? (Pause) When you see your favorite food on your plate, do you smile? Do you say, “Thank you” cheerfully? I’m sure you do. Let’s practice saying, “Thank you” now. Thank you.

Co-Host When you see a food at Thanksgiving that you don’t like, do you make a grumpy face? Would your Thanksgiving dinner be as much fun if everyone at the table grumbled about the food? It wouldn’t. Show me what you think your mommy or daddy’s face would look like if he or she grumbled at Thanksgiving.

Host Today’s Big Verse tells us that we can be thankful all the time.

Host 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIrV) says, “Give thanks no matter what happens.” Does that mean we can be thankful even when we have a food we don’t like on our plate?

Co-Host Yes! We can be thankful that God gave us food that will help us grow big and strong. Let’s pretend to grow up tall. Stand on your tippy toes and reach up high. Pretend you’re growing so tall that you touch the ceiling. Are you growing even bigger? How tall are you now? Are you taller than a dinosaur? Are you taller than a mountain? Let’s shrink back to our pockets.

Host There are lots of reasons to say, “Thank you” every day because every day God shows us how much He loves us by taking care of us. We can always find a reason to tell God thanks. Let’s stand and say, “Thank You” to God with a song.

Jr. Conductors, let’s practice our Big Verse. Saying what’s in the Bible over and over will help you remember to make wise choices. I’ll say the verse, and you repeat after me. “I will give thanks no matter what happens.” (Repeat twice) Good job. You can practice saying God’s Word every day. Close your eyes, and I’ll pray.

Host I’m glad that Lionel remembered the Big Point. He used it when he felt like grumbling. Instead of talking about how he didn’t like it, Lionel said, “Thank you.”

Co-Host Let’s say the Big Point again.

Co-Host Don’t Grumble, Say Thanks! I want to show you some pictures, and you tell me which one of the two pictures would taste better.

Host Thankful words are like food that is yummy to eat. Grumbles are gross like worms or mud. We want to be full of thankful words, not yucky words.

Co-Host Make sure that you say lots of thankful words every day and spit out those grumbles. Let’s say the Big Point again. (VFX: Big Point Video) Don’t Grumble, Say Thanks!

Co-Host Don’t Grumble, Say Thanks!

1. Let’s Practice our Big Point again. Hmm, did our Big Point say Don’t Grumble, Say Thanks or Don’t Say Thanks, Grumble? Don’t Grumble, Say Thanks

2. What is the name of one of your cousins? What color hair does your grandma have? How tall is your grandpa? Show me with your hands. Why was Lionel upset today? He didn’t want his family to visit. Did Lionel grumble? Yes What did Lionel learn to do instead of grumbling? Be thankful

3. Let’s stand and pretend to march. What was the name of the man in the Big Story who helped the Israelites march out of Egypt? Moses Did God help them leave the mean Egyptians? Yes Now let’s march in the desert.

Is it cold or warm in the desert? What do you see on the screen? When the Israelites marched in the desert, did they grumble? Yes Did God keep helping them? Yes

4. What’s your favorite toy to play with at home? Can you tell me what that toy looks like? How would you feel if someone broke your toy? You might feel sad or angry. Let’s think of one thing that we could thank God for, even if someone broke our favorite toy.

5. Let’s pretend that we are stuffing our mouths with lots of bubble gum. Is bubble gum sticky? Let’s pretend it’s so sticky we can barely open our mouths. Should we fill our mouths with grumbling words or thankful words? Let’s pretend to dump in lots of thankful words.

6. What does our Big Verse say? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIrV), “Give ______ no matter what happens.” Who can we say, “Thank you” to today? a. Thanks

b. Grumbles