Exploring Gratitude with Your Child

There are many benefits to practising gratitude. It encourages us to look for the positives in life, promoting optimism, satisfaction, and strong relationships. Generally speaking, it encourages a happy and confident outlook on life. With that said, it’s important for parents to explore gratitude with their children, which should help them learn to appreciate what they have, both in terms of material possessions and also their relationships and experiences. I have teamed up with an independent prep school in London to suggest some ways you can explore gratitude with your child.

Model Gratitude and Avoid Complaining

Being an adult can be challenges sometimes, especially for parents. However, try not to let your child see when you’re stressed and avoid complaining in front of them, because they will start to adopt the same negative attitude. Instead, focus on sharing the positive parts of your day and talk about the things you appreciate and are thankful for. 

Practise Mindfulness

Mindfulness is all about focussing on the present moment, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. It’s a popular meditation technique that is used to ease anxiety. Practising mindfulness with your child will help them feel more grateful about things as and when they’re happening, like eating a delicious meal or hugging a loved one. These are simple things that we’re all guilty of letting flash by without recognition, but it can be a great technique for helping children become more appreciative. 

Share What You’re Grateful For

Encourage your child to share things that they are grateful for. Perhaps when you’re eating dinner together after school/work, you could take it in turns to share something that happened to you that day that you appreciate. This could be as simple as a colleague who made you a cup of coffee. If your child is struggling to think of something, prompt them by asking if any of their friends or teachers did something nice for them. The idea is to look for the positives in even the smallest of experiences. Another option is to encourage your child to write a gratitude journal, in which they write down a few things they’re grateful for each night before bed. 

Promote Good Manners

It’s likely that you do this naturally, but it’s important to remind your child to say thank you. Be sure to praise them when they do this without being prompted. You could take this one step further by encouraging them to give thank you cards or gifts to express gratitude. For instance, at the end of the academic year, you could buy a small gift for your child to give to their teacher to show their appreciation.