Gratitude is a life tool that can help transform your life for the good. Research says that an attitude of gratitude makes people happier and positive about life. It also helps them to build strong relationships, tackle problems with ease and feel more positive emotions.
Starting early in life is always beneficial. Gratitude teaches children to appreciate what they have instead of what they lack. It also helps them to find joy in experiences rather than deriving happiness only from material things. It promotes optimism, helps them to curb jealous feelings and promotes well being.
Gratitude can be cultivated in many ways. Listed below are simple ways one can encourage and teach young children to practice gratitude.
1) A Thankful Project
Do a fun project with your little ones. Create a thankful tree. Encourage them to write about one thing they are grateful for everyday. You can also create a gratitude jar and encourage children to write something they are thankful for.
2) Establish Routines
Encourage children to think about few things they are grateful for every night before they go to sleep. Ask them to close their eyes, take a deep breath and think about a thing they felt really happy about in the day. Ask them to say it out loud and give thanks for it.
3) Read books about gratitude
Picture books are a fantastic way to introduce children to the concept of gratitude. They can be used for discussions, to help children understand why they should be thankful and to help them see the good things in life. Some of our top favourite books are shown below.
4) Model gratitude
As a habit, appreciate people and things around you more. Judge less, and always try to find something positive. Share and talk about the goodness you see around with your children often. You are the role model for your child and your child will see, hear and observe you often. So appreciating your family members, friends, colleagues and people who help you will leave a positive impression in your child's mind. Encourage children to express their appreciation for people who love them. They could make thank you notes, call up people and share why they love them or just give them hugs to make them feel special.
Gratitude doesn't cost anything. It is a simple concept which if practiced daily can help you to see the beauty that life is. It will help your children turn into happier adults. So go ahead and start your practice today!
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