
Every year on September 21st World Gratitude Day takes place. It is the perfect opportunity to remind us to step back and think about what we are thankful for. According to numerous studies from the world of positive psychology, gratitude is one of the most important ways for us to get a happiness boost and provides us with so many wonderful psychological, physical, and interpersonal benefits.
Robert Emmons, the world’s foremost researcher on gratitude, says that expressing what we are thankful for has many benefits including feeling less stressed, improved sleep, fewer physical problems, less regular visits to the doctor, and longer lives (by an average of around seven years).
When we count our blessings, we interrupt the cycle of negative and fearful thoughts, which allows the stress system in our bodies to recover. Research shows that when we are thankful, we love our lives and want to make sure we stick around long enough to enjoy them. Also, when we receive praise from others, our brain releases the chemical dopamine, which encourages us to do more to receive such praise. This makes us want to thank others and make them feel good as well.
Therefore, gratitude is definitely something that we want to pass on to our kids. It helps to inspire them and fill their minds with meaning. In a sense, it is a kind of a gift that we can give them to make their lives better.
Enjoy these 10 fun ways to celebrate World Gratitude Day with your children. I hope that these ideas inspire you to make gratitude part of your lives every single day of the year.
1. Play the alphabet gratitude game.
2. Show appreciation to others by sending thank you notes.
3. Encourage your children to start a gratitude journal. Keeping a gratitude journal has been shown to increase our sense of happiness by forcing us to acknowledge the positive moments in our 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, we begin to feel calmer and more joyful by appreciating these experiences. You can really get creative with the type of journal you make, from collages to videos to drawings and paintings.
4. Take your children to awe-inspiring places that will spark an appreciation for the beautiful wonders of the world. Check out these fun ideas to bring more awe into your family’s life.
5. Connect with your children on the ride home from school by asking them what happened during their day that they are grateful for.
6. Make gratitude a part of your children’s bedtime routine by going around the room and saying one thing each of you is thankful for that day. It is such a special time that you can share together.
7. Eat together as if it were Thanksgiving every night. Enjoy your time with your family and encourage your children to tell you all about their day and the things they are grateful for. 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 or New Year’s.
8. Give your time by helping others and volunteering as a family, which will teach your children to recognize and be grateful for the positive aspects of their own lives. Learn how to choose the best volunteer activities for your family.
9. Make time to be grateful for our natural environment. I am actually working on a book right now all about how nature helps our children feel happier and calmer. One of the chapters focuses on being grateful for nature and how that makes us feel better. Be the first to know when the book is available!
10. Read books about gratitude with your children. Check out my book review about My Grateful Book by Diana Smith, and enjoy these other books about gratitude, too.
How will you celebrate World Gratitude Day?
I love a good alphabet game, and I believe in thank you notes!
My new boss has everyone hand-write two thank you notes a week. It’s so different and yet gratifying in a way to do it. I appreciate having a boss that puts a lot of thought into gratitude.
I so heartedly agree that gratitude is a definite ‘happiness boost’. Thanks for a sharing this well-written article!
Enjoyed reading your post, I’ve put World Gratitude Day in my diary, and will enjoy using a few of your ideas with my kids. Thanks!
I didn’t even know there was a gratitude day! These tips are awesome. I will definitely be using a few of these especially with the holidays quickly approaching. Thanks for the great tips.
Being Grateful and expressing gratitude have changed my life towards the best. Adding Gratitude day to my calendar and Thanks for sharing the ideas to enjoy the game with kids and family.
Heena. | https://travelandhikewithpcos.com/
I love these ideas. Especially the gratitude journal, I think that would be valuable for the whole family x
Love that these extra “holidays” can be such a great reminder to celebrate good things at different times of the year. So many great ideas on this list! Thanks for sharing!
Great post. Have marked Gratitude day in my calendar. Didn’t know it was a day. Thank you
Great suggestions! I love sending and receiving thank you notes. 💕
I wish you happy world gratitude day
Love your ideas! We show appreciation to loved ones and actively reframe negative situations. This encourages us to always look for a reason to be grateful.
These ideas are lovely. I work in a school and will use the alphabet game.