Expressing and studying gratitude is one thing all of us struggle with from time to time, and when it involves determining how to present kids gratitude, it may be difficult to approach the idea and combine the practice.
The Raising Grateful Children Project at UNC Chapel Hill has established the next 4 methods we have a tendency to consider gratitude that give parents and teachers a beginning line for conversations about gratitude with children:
- What we NOTICE in our lives for which we can be grateful
- How we THINK about why we have been given these things
- How we FEEL about the issues we have been given
- What we DO to express appreciation in turn
You can use these statements to begin introducing the idea of gratitude to your kids and spark grateful behaviors and thoughts. Whether your child is struggling to present appreciation for everything they’ve or you’re hoping to present them to understand even the small, mundane issues in life, right here are some useful tips on how to present kids gratitude.
What Is The Meaning of Gratitude?
Merriam-Webster defines gratitude because the “state of thankfulness.” However, gratitude can be felt for a variety of various causes and proven in lots of different ways. We can be simply as grateful and grateful for our household as we’re our jobs, health, friends, new shoes, and the chance to play outside. Giving gifts, thanks cards, or merely saying thanks are very easy methods to acknowledge the issues we obtain and have. But gratitude goes deeper and includes the ability to view issues from different views (i.e. how would I really feel if I didn’t have x?).
Why Is It Important to Teach Kids Gratitude?
Gratitude, or at least showing gratitude, is seen as a regular and well mannered a half of our society. Others don’t essentially owe us anything, and are not usually obligated to be kind to us or give us the issues we need or need. That’s why, particularly for kids, it’s important to allow them to know that showing and practicing gratitude, whereas additionally polite, is a nice way let others know that their actions imply something. Showing gratitude may even encourage inside ourselves a spirit of giving and a way of belonging, and a few research have proven a hyperlink between gratitude and happiness (source).
How to Teach Kids Gratitude: 7 Tips & Ideas
1. Be a good role model
If you need to know how to present kids gratitude, a good beginning level is to mannequin grateful behaviors yourself. In different words: practice what you preach. In every situation, because the grownup and role mannequin for the child, it’s your responsibility to illustrate correct acknowledgements, like saying “thank you”, and present how to deal with disappointing conditions in which you don’t get what you want. In doing so, kids will see that they need to be grateful for gifts, studying opportunities, and yes, even the harder issues in life.
2. Encourage them to say thank you
This appears simply like the easiest solution however encouraging your child to say “thank you” is the most pure way to instill gratitude. Whenever they obtain anything, from you or somebody else, or whenever they like one thing of their life, merely remind them to say “thank you”, and earlier than you know it, it will become habit.
3. Keep a gratitude journal
Gratitude journals like this one from Modern Kid Press are a nice way to present gratitude to older kids who can learn and write. With exercise pages, sections for free-writing, and insightful questions, structured gratitude journals give your child the chance to mirror on all that they’ve and ought to be grateful for.
4. Random acts of kindness
It can be hard to place your self in somebody else’s shoes and realize how different your situation could be. By practicing easy acts of kindness on the daily, you are giving your child the chance to consider the lives and wellbeing of others and note all they need to be grateful for of their very personal lives. Additionally, it will give your child an alternative to give again to others, present appreciation for others, and expertise the enjoyment of interacting positively with friends and strangers.
Here are some are appropriate random acts of kindness for kids:
- Leave a kind note on a friend’s desk
- Make a card for your teacher/parent/loved one
- Hold the door open for someone
- Donate clothing/toys
- Let somebody go in entrance of you in line
- Make and promote treats to raise cash for a charity
- Help somebody carry their things
- Volunteer to clear up a park
- Go make a brand new friend!
5. Start conversations
At home, in a comfortable, safe environment, open up the ground for gratitude conversations. For example: every night on the dinner table, take the chance of being gathered collectively to permit every person to state one thing they’re grateful for from their day. It can be small or large, however everybody appears to be inspired to discover some positives and gratitude, even when their day was hard.
You can additionally talk about the deeper meaning of being thankful, what it means to understand what one has and the way to define the positives in tough situations. Even if you had a bad day, coming home to a heat house, sleeping in a heat bed, having ice cream for dessert, or merely knowing that your loved ones is there are all issues to be grateful for.
6. Make a gratitude tree
You can get the entire household concerned in creating and including to an adorable and ornamental gratitude tree. Place the tree in a central space and encourage your kids so as to add a leaf each time they really feel fortunate to have one thing or somebody of their life. If you need to know how to present kids gratitude, that is a nice visible way to remind them of all of the good issues inside the lives every day.
7. Read About Gratitude Together
My final tip for these that are attempting to determine how to present kids gratitude is to sit with your kids and learn books centered round feeling grateful and appreciative. Here are a few of our favorites:
- The Thank You Book (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems
- The Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera
- Bear Says Thanks (The Bear Books) by Karma Wilson
- Gratitude is My Superpower: A children’s book about Giving Thanks and Practicing Positivity by Alicia Ortego
- When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree by Jamie L.B. Deenihan
If you need to know how to present kids gratitude, I hope the tips, ideas, and book suggestions on this post proved useful to you!
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