6 Ideas for Practicing Gratitude Year Round
Is it possible to foster a spirit of gratitude in your kids — during the holidays and all year round? Of course! Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to teach your kids the habit of giving and to cultivate a thankful heart. Keep your eyes open for teachable moments. When kids can connect the concept of gratitude to a real-life situation, the lesson is more likely to stick.
Here are six ideas to help your whole family foster a grateful attitude all year round.
1. Model, Model, Model.
Expressing gratitude through words, writing, and small gifts or acts of reciprocity are all ways to teach children how to become grateful. There are countless opportunities to model gratitude before your kids — for example, thanking the waitress who serves your food, the cashier who rings you up at the grocery store, the teller at the bank who cashes your check. When our kids see us expressing sincere thanks all the time, they’ll be more inclined to do so as well.
2. Create a nightly routine.
At dinner or bedtime, have your family count their blessings by taking turns sharing the three best things about your day. Make it fun by clinking your glasses together. It can be little things, like a new friend, a shared snack or a good parking spot!
3. Volunteer together.
Serving others through volunteer work is a wonderful way to remind yourself to be thankful. Think food pantry or animal shelter, making cards for our troops, picking up trash at a local park. Try to make it a regular commitment year round — not just at the holidays.
4. Write thank-you notes.
In this age of instant messaging, the act of writing (and mailing) a thank you note may feel old fashioned. But thank you notes are a great way to help your child reflect on kindnesses both big and small. In addition to birthday and holiday presents, have your kids write thank you notes when someone does something special for them, such as a grandparent taking them to the amusement park.
Photograph by Doug Merriam
5. Make a record of your blessings.
If your family likes to do crafts, create a blessing jar or wreath to visually collect the many things, great and small, that make you thankful. You can also keep a Family Gratitude Journal. We like this Wreath of Plenty found on Parents.com.
To make the wreath:
Wrap a 12-inch Styrofoam wreath form with strips of fabric, securing them with ball-head straight pins. Cut leaf shapes from card stock. Crease each leaf in half to add dimension. To hang, pin a loop of string to the back of the wreath. Tip: Use light-colored gel pens to write on darker paper.
6. Practice Random Acts of Kindness
Pay it forward with random acts of kindness. From smiling at a passing stranger to paying for someone’s order behind you at the drive-thru, small actions make a huge difference. It sounds cliché, but it really works. Random, yet simple, acts of kindness benefit both sides and you will feel better while helping others.
Question: What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?
