Helping kids to develop an “Attitude of Gratitude” is a worthwhile goal for any parent keen to support their children’s emotional wellbeing. Gratitude is the quality of being thankful and appreciative and research shows that consciously “counting your blessings” offers stress reduction, mental health and creativity benefits. Gratitude has also been shown to increase positive emotions whilst reducing anger. In this blog, we consider how we can foster a sense of appreciation and gratitude in our children. You’ll find practical tips that can easily be implemented today to promote an attitude of gratitude.
1. Model Gratitude: Kids absorb what they see us doing. A great place to start in helping your kids to develop an attitude of gratitude is to model that in your own behavior. Say “thankyou” when you feel appreciation. Show respect for the things you have in life by treating them with care. And that includes the people you have around you – avoid taking them for granted. Your actions will speak louder than your words to your kids, so foster an attitude to gratitude in yourself to impact your kids.
2. Make Reflection a Daily Habit: It can be easy to take what we have for granted. Deliberate and intentional reflection upon our life and what we do have to be grateful for can challenge such entitled ignorance. Aim to make a gratitude practice part of your regular family routine. That could be at mealtimes, with a simple question of: “so, what are your highlights from today”, or at bedtime – to list with your child three things you are each grateful for. Regular practice will build the gratitude muscle.
3. Encourage Your Child to Find Ways to Say Thank you. Setting an expectation that your child says thankyou begins to install the value of gratitude. Prompt children to say “thanks” for the food that’s been prepared for them, for acts of kindness by others and for birthday gifts. Creating simple “thankyou” cards or notes to acknowledge gratitude for gifts is a good habit to get into. You can encourage your child to go beyond simple perfunctory polite “thankyous” by suggesting they draw a picture or write a brief sentence to say what the gift meant to them.
4. Ask: “What Did You Learn From That…..” Life is full of ups and downs. You can teach your child to find the silver lining that is often there in the difficult times by prompting them to move beyond all or nothing thinking. Being able to be grateful for the learning and growth that comes as a result of difficulty is a mark of emotional maturity and may not be possible for young children. However, asking the question – “did you learn anything from the experience?” - can help your child to begin to appreciate the positive that may be well hidden within an otherwise negative situation.
5. Be Curious! You can help your child to explore any sense of gratitude they feel in greater depth by asking questions and showing curiosity in their experience of appreciation. Questions such as “how do you feel about the gift” and “what does it feel like inside to have this opportunity” can help your child to get more in touch with their experience of gratitude. It also shows you are interested in this positive experience and, by doing so, will reinforce the neural networks within your child’s brain relating to gratitude. You will be helping to shape your child’s brain towards gratitude.
So, an attitude of gratitude is a life-enhancing value to promote with your children. You can make great progress in fostering gratitude and appreciation with your child by: • Modelling gratitude ion your own relationships and interactions. • Build reflection time into family routines. • Promote “thankyou” with your child. • Consider silver linings in dark clouds. • Show curiosity and encourage your child to explore their sense of gratitude further.
Hope you enjoyed reading and watching the video! @ThinkJr Creations
