Feeling and expressing gratitude is something we all struggle with at times, particularly with busy and demanding lives. It’s easy to underestimate the impact it can have on both our own and others’ lives though, and it’s something simple we can all do to make the world a slightly happier place; even better if we can encourage our children to learn about and practice being grateful. To help you explore this with your child, here’s some tips from a boys’ school in London.
Model gratitude
The most effective way to instill gratitude in our children is to demonstrate it at home. Children learn a lot about the world and how to behave in it from watching what their parents do, so try to let your child see you being grateful as much as possible. If someone does something nice for you, discuss it with your child and point out how lovely it was and how it’s made you feel. You can then talk about how it’s important to acknowledge acts of kindness and show your appreciation for them by saying thank you or showing gratitude in another way.
Recognise moments
Teach your child to recognise the good in their life by discussing their day when you sit at the table for dinner or prompting them to write down a few things they’re grateful for before they go to bed. This helps make gratitude a daily practice, which will eventually become second nature. Teach your child that there’s always something to be grateful for, even when life is a little tough.
Encourage optimism
Helping your child develop an optimistic mindset will make them feel more grateful for their life and the things and people in it. In the same way, being grateful for everything, including the challenges they face, will encourage a positive attitude to life.
Get them involved in the community
Sometimes we only realise the good in our life when we compare it to others less fortunate, so it might help to take your child out into the community to do something for others. They could help you with some volunteer work like litter picking, through which they might develop a sense of gratitude for the natural world; or you could take them with you to visit an elderly neighbour who lives on their own – they may understand then how lucky they are to have loving family members around them.
There are opportunities for gratitude all around us, and it’s up to us as parents to help our children see them.
Disclosure: collaborative post
Thank you for reading - if you enjoyed this content, please consider buying me a coffee here or browse my Amazon wishlist I really appreciate your support and it helps to keep the site running and for my time 🙂