Feeling and expressing gratitude is one of the best things we can do for others as well as ourselves. When you are feeling thankful for what you have in your life, you will see more great things come your way. Let’s face it, gratitude is powerful. This goes for our kids as well as ourselves. Here are a few ways to help your kids learn to express and feel gratitude for what they have:
- Before bed have them talk about their favourite part of the day. It’s a great way for them to go to bed thinking of the positives of the day, instead of what didn’t go as they would have liked. Thanks to Jodi Lee for this tip!
- Before dinner, have everyone share something they are thankful for. Here anything goes. The idea is to focus on the little and big blessings in life.
- If your kids come home from school complaining about something, have them name three things they are grateful for before they talk of their complaint. This is a great way to dilute the feelings of frustration and chances are they won’t feel like complaining anymore.
- Have them think of something they are thankful for, and then talk about who was involved in bringing them that blessing. For example, my daughter loves ice-cream so she would mention: the cow, the farmer, the delivery truck driver, the people who market and make the ice-cream, the product sales person, the grocery store manager, the checkout person, who ever bought the ice-cream (me or my husband), the people who were involved involved in making the scoop and cone, etc. You get the picture. Makes you realize just how much we depend on each other.
Try a few of these and soon you and your kids will begin to reap the benefits of expressing gratitude daily. Have fun and enjoy!
Question: How do you help your kids express gratitude for their blessings?
