How to Encourage Gratitude in your Kids

November is one of my favorite months! The stress of Halloween costumes is over, but the stress of Christmas shopping is still weeks away. The major holiday of the month is focused on FOOD, and we are reminded to be more thankful. I try to live my life being grateful for the things I have, but sometimes I think we fall into ruts of taking things for granted. I have been making an extra effort this year to be more grateful and I am trying to help my kids have an attitude of gratitude as well.

First, in order to encourage your children to show more gratitude, you need to work on yourself. Here are a few ideas for parents/adults:

1. Keep a notebook by your bed and write down one thing you are grateful for each night. It becomes really fun to look back on (especially on a “down” day) and see all the things you have been blessed with.
2. Make sure you express your gratitude to others. I am a “Words of Affirmation” person, so when someone specifically thanks me for something I did, it makes my whole day. What a simple way to make someone else feel special. Thank your server at a restaurant, the cashier, a teacher, coworker, or friend. Thank your boss, a neighbor, or even a stranger.
3. Tell your kids you are thankful for them. This goes along with number 2, but focusing on your kids. I think, too often, our kids overhear our complaints or frustrations about them. They need to hear positives from you and you will be surprised at their change in behavior.
4. In moments when you are feeling down, take a minute and list 10 things that are good for you. This simple shift in mindset will help you re-train your brain to realize that the good outweighs the bad.

Ok! Now to help our kids develop a Thankful and Grateful attitude. This can be tricky, because you can’t control how someone else feels or reacts. Our kids have their own personalities, but these things might help!

1. Be an example! Kids learn a lot of behaviors from watching their parents. I will always remember the first time my first daughter said, “Good grief!” and I realized that I said that WAY too often. Funny, yes, but not something I would want her to say often. Instead, let’s make “Thank you” and “Please” and general manners be our go-to.
2. Talk to them about it. Do you remember your parents ever saying, “Be grateful you have food. There are people in *whatever country* that don’t have anything to eat.”? Well, we don’t need to go to the extreme, but our kids need to be taught or reminded that they are blessed and lucky to have certain things.
3. Make a “Thankful Tree”. This is one of my kids favorite traditions each year. We make a BIG tree on the wall and they each get to add a leaf with something they are thankful for each day. By the time we make it to Thanksgiving, our tree is loaded!
4. Have a secret with each kid to do random kindness for each other. I like to pull each of my kids aside privately and assign them a certain sibling to be nice to for the day. Then, it is super fun to talk to them at bedtime and see what they did for each other that day.
5. Create habits. There was a good period of time when my kids complained EVERY time I put food on the table. Somebody always had an opinion of what they didn’t like and what they didn’t want to eat. I quickly grew tired of that, so we made a new rule/habit that you didn’t have to like it, but you did have to tell mom “Thank you!” I now get 5 little voices saying, “Thanks for the food, mom,” EVERY time I give them food. It makes me feel a whole lot happier to make dinner day after day when I know that they will be grateful for it.

*Here come my affiliates (links to products where I gain a small commission if you choose to buy something, at no extra cost to you)!

Here are a few products that I have used to encourage gratitude in my home!

Leaf Stamps–These make a fun craft project. Kids can make their own personal “Thankful Trees”. Don’t forget the stamp pads and good paper.

Butcher Paper–Do yourself a favor and BUY yourself a roll of white butcher paper. We use ours all the time it is going to get its own blog post soon. But, this is what we use for our Thankful Tree. You can make it as tall as you want/need. (Also use for table covers during art projects, etc).

Construction Paper–Make leaves for the Thankful Tree, or make Turkey Hats. So many Thanksgiving crafts can be made with construction paper. We never have enough!

Thanksgiving Craft Kits–Amazon has SO many cute craft kits. They come in bundled packages, so you don’t have to gather your own supplies. I love this Create a Turkey Sticker set and these Turkey Ornaments and these Scarecrow Head Magnets. Crafts always get me in a festive spirit, and then can act as a reminder of Thankfulness every time you see them displayed around your house!

GET YOUR THANKFUL ON!

-Kristen