Exploring Gratitude with Your Child

Do you often complain that your children are ungrateful? Exploring gratitude could be the answer!

Practicing gratitude will not only help your child to appreciate their belongings, family and surroundings, but it will also help them to handle their emotions and build more resilience.

Here are some great tips from an independent school in Berkshire on how to explore gratitude with your child…

Model gratitude

Children learn from their parents, so it is important that you role model a ‘gratitude attitude’ for your child to follow. Try to encourage gratefulness in your daily routine, in order for your child to lead a positive and happy life.

Point out the positives

In the busy life of parenting it is easy to complain or get frustrated in front of our children. However, the more you complain, the more likely it is that your children will have the same attitude. Instead, try talking about the good parts of your day and focusing on the positives even when something bad happens.

Show your appreciation

Teach your children to show their appreciation for others with random acts of kindness. For example, take a gift into school to thank a teacher or make a card to let a grandparent know how much they are missed. These small gestures will show children the importance of being thoughtful and kind.

Practice daily gratitude

Practise daily gratitude with your child, by helping them to look for all the positives in their life. Gratitude is such an effective technique for improving mental health and maintaining an optimistic attitude. A simple way for your child to practise gratitude is by keeping a gratitude journal. You could encourage them to write in it each evening. Ask your child to write down things they feel grateful for or a person that made them happy.

Thanks for reading xxx