Gratitude is one of the most important ways for us to get a happiness boost, providing us with so many wonderful psychological, physical, and interpersonal benefits. It improves our health, reduces stress, and helps us focus on the positive. Stepping back and being thankful for what we have gives us energy, inspires us, and transforms us. It also helps us realize that life is truly a gift.
Learning how to be grateful is definitely something that we should pass on to our kids. If you can get them into the habit of expressing gratitude from an early age, it is likely to have a positive effect in the long run. Here are some ways to build a gratitude habit in your home.
Gratitude Journals
One of the most popular and effective ways to express gratitude stories is through journaling. It encourages our kids to acknowledge the positive moments in their day, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Whether it is a smile from a stranger, a good grade on a test, a gift from a relative, or an awe-inspiring sunset, they will begin to feel calmer and more joyful by appreciating these experiences. Our children can greatly benefit from keeping a gratitude journal, but it’s important that we keep it fun for them such as with multimedia ideas like blogs and videos.
Thanksgiving Dinner Every Night
Just because Thanksgiving is in November doesn’t mean we can’t incorporate Thanksgiving traditions year-round as we sit down together at the dinner table. Enjoy your time with your family and encourage your children to tell you all about their day and the things to be grateful for. Ask them to remember to thank siblings and other family members. Some families find it helpful to put together a gratitude jar to collect their thankful statements all year, and then they can go through everything they wrote each year on Thanksgiving.
Bedtime Routine
The most important stress buster that I added to my life was introducing a gratitude prayer with my children every night as part of their bedtime routine. We go around the room and each say one thing we are thankful for that day and one thing we hope for in the future. It is such a special time we share together, and has become a key part of our lives. I love this practice because it gives me a chance to think about gratitude everyday, even if I don’t always say everything I am thinking out loud for my children to hear. And when you do it with your children, they hold you accountable. My children love it so much that they now need to say thank you before they can fall asleep.
You can also read books about gratitude at bedtime. Check out my book reviews of The Thankful Book by Todd Parr and My Grateful Book by Diana Smith, and enjoy these other amazing books.
Spontaneous Moments
Finally, try finding gratitude moments with your children throughout the day. A great time is during the car ride to and from school or when you are waiting in line at a store or in the doctor’s office. Connect with your children by asking them what happened during their day what they are grateful for. Make gratitude part of your children’s afterschool routine.
Add some fun and interest by asking your kids to use the alphabet, colors, shapes, or other categories to guide what that are thankful for. For example, ask them to find one thing they are grateful for based on the colors of the rainbow: the delicious red apple they had during lunch, the bright blue sky, and the beautiful purple flower blooming in front of your house. Next, spark their appreciation for nature by taking them to awe-inspiring places like gardens, the beach, parks, and hiking and camping spots. And just when your day seems stressful and out of control, take a gratitude break to calm everyone down and to gain a new, more uplifting perspective.
How do you incorporate gratitude into your family’s daily routine?
What a lovely idea. I especially like the Thanksgiving dinner every night idea. Thanks for the suggestions.
Such wonderful advice and ideas!
I love the idea of thanksgiving every night. That’s very creative.
This is good advice. Some very good ideas in this posting.
I love all of these ideas! Great ways to teach your little one how to be thankful! Thanks for sharing!
Great ideas! I hope to incorporate some of these into our routines!
I love your article! i always try to look the bright side even in hard time. So made a list of gratitude before and wrote down what I was thankful for that day and read it before bedtime. It’s important thing! Apparently, I have the same perspective as you!!
I love every one of these fantastic ideas! We do what’s your favorite part of the day so far at dinnertime and talk about our grateful hearts at bedtime. LOVE THIS!!
Love these ideas! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Gratitude makes a big difference, and starting kids young is very important. I love your idea of incorporating it at bedtime. Thinking about those positive aspects before bed will put everyone in a relaxed and gracious frame of mind. Going to try this tonight!
I love these ideas! I might have to start doing this my youngest. My other two are pretty much adults now. Thank you!
I enjoyed your post very much, especially that you are highlighting teaching our children about gratitude. We also believe that gratitude and thanksgiving should be something we practice year round. It’s just my husband and me, but we practice gratitude daily throughout the day.
What a great reminder! It’s never too early to install gratitude ion our children!