It's important for God. I think God likes to be thanked. And it's important for us. We need to be thankful. It's important for our own life, and health.
Little kids have a better awareness of time than most grown-ups do.
Kids know how to rejoice and be glad in the present moment, while grown-ups are always looking ahead to the next thing. I can remember whole hours I spent when I was a kid, just watching a frog. I can remember when the gift of time was an afternoon at the beach. I didn't know when we were going home. Wasn't thinking about what I had to do that evening, or tomorrow.