SIMPLE TIPS
How to teach gratefulness to your child By Cara Johnson-Bader
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esearch tells us that practicing gratitude has a powerful impact on a child’s brain and is linked to improved sleep, lower anxiety, improved relationships, empathy, and greater happiness. And naturally, parents want to teach that important skill to their children, so here are a few simple ways, you Cara Johnson-Bader can teach gratitude at home
Model gratitude
Modeling gratitude is one of the most influential ways to teach gratitude. Your children are always watching you and the way that you treat others. They observe the way you speak to friends, neighbors, the cashier at the grocery store. They hear your tone during a conference call or when you accept a call from a telemarketer. You set a wonderful example when you model kindness, generosity, and gratefulness in your everyday actions. Show your child what it means to be grateful, whether it is for holding the door for someone or writing thank you notes, find ways to demonstrate gratitude to your child.
Show appreciation
Show appreciation to your children. Life is busy, so take a moment to slow down. When you do, you will observe things you appreciate about your child. Make sure you tell your child what you appreciate about him or her. Sharing appreciation is a great way to build connections with your child. Show appreciation for others.
Read books about gratitude
Read books about kindness and compassion with your child, and use reflection questions to deepen your child’s understanding to create a truly meaningful experience. Here are a few of our favorite books and reflection questions to encourage meaningful conversations about kindness and compassion.
“You set a wonderful example when you model kindness, generosity, and gratefulness in your everyday actions.” 4 NOV/DEC 2023 | Idaho Family Magazine
“Stone Soup” by Jon J. Muth • How does sharing and giving change a community? “Thank you, Omu!” by Oge Mora • Can you think of three people you would like to send a thank you to? • Who are they and what would you say? • If you have time, write those letters. “The Secret of Saying Thanks” by Douglas Wood • Can you name three things that you are grateful for or three things that made you smile?
Create gratitude rituals
Make it a habit to regularly express gratitude as a family. Here are a few examples. • During dinner, take turns sharing one thing you are grateful for. • After reading a bedtime story, ask your child to name two things they are grateful for. • Start a gratitude journal. Simply use a notebook to record what you are thankful for. Your child can either write or draw pictures of what they are thankful for. You can make it a weekly habit to write in the journal. • Write monthly or weekly thank you notes to family members, teachers, community helpers, and others you would like to extend gratitude to. • Create a gratitude jar and write what you are grateful for. This is a fun activity, as your family can decorate your gratitude jar with paint, and then write what you are grateful for. You can create a family routine of writing notes for the jar. • Create holiday traditions around gratitude and thankfulness. At Thanksgiving, create a “thankful turkey.” Use construction paper to create a turkey, then on the feathers write things you are thankful for. www.idahofamilymagazine.com