Truly instilling an attitude of gratitude in your children is incredibly important.
Gratitude goes far beyond good manners, in fact, it’s more so a lifestyle and mindset.
Kids who count their blessing seem to reap large benefits that include a better attitude about school and even greater satisfaction in life.
It is important that while we teach our children manners, like saying please and thank you, that we also instill gratitude and teach them how to be grateful.
TIPS FOR TEACHING YOUR CHILD AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
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COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
Each day when you sit down at the dinner table to enjoy a family meal, make it a point to go around the table and have everyone name something they are thankful for that day.
No matter what the list includes, this daily tradition helps to develop a positive mindset.
Older children can even keep a gratitude journal where they write down a few things they are grateful for each day before going to bed.
MODEL GRATITUDE
One of the most important ways to instill gratitude in your children is to model it for them.
It goes without saying that we love and adore our children but how often do we tell them how grateful we are for them?
Their self-esteem will be boosted but they will also see that gratitude can extend far beyond material items.
HAVE THEM WORK FOR THINGS
When children take the time to work towards something, they appreciate it that much more when they receive it.
Having your children pitch in when they want something encourages them to appreciate what they have.
It also gives them a more realistic perspective when it comes to what you and others do for them, teaching them to be grateful for those things.
ENCOURAGE THEM TO GIVE BACK
When children give their time and energy to help others, they are far less likely to take things like home, family, and health for granted.
Helping others will give your children perspective in life and teach them how to be grateful for everything beyond material possessions.
LOOK FOR TEACHABLE MOMENTS
We need to seize teachable moments and be prepared to use them as teaching aids.
When children can connect the concept of gratitude to a real-life situation, the lesson is much more likely to stick with them.
Teaching our children to be grateful for everything, not just material possessions, in an extremely important task for parents.
Take the time each day to count your blessings, model gratitude, teach them to work for what they want, encourage them to give back and look for those real-life teachable moments.
In no time, your kids will be more grateful and positive in life.
Check out the book RAISING GRATEFUL KIDS IN AN ENTITLED WORLD.
You may also like HOW TO ENCOURAGE KINDNESS IN YOUR CHILD:
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Rachel Sweeney
Sunday 23rd of September 2018
This is definitely something I try very hard to teach to and model for my own children, because I think it's something the parents of my generation failed horribly at. I think ingratitude is one of the root causes of a lot of people's problems today, although they probably don't even realize it.