Being grateful is paying attention to what you do, how you treat others, and ensuring you give yourself enough time and focus on the things important to you. It’s all about what you particularly appreciate and how they can help you with your positivity and keeping a good frame of mind.
When we are children, we aren’t entirely aware of what this means. It can be confusing therefore to show children how to be grateful or understand the importance of gratitude. Here in this guide from a private school in Herts, we take a look at the ways you can explore gratitude with your child.
Ask your child what they appreciate the most
In making your child understand the importance of gratitude, you can ask your child what it means to feel happy about the things they have around them. Your child is bound to have a number of activities that they feel happy about, or some close friends that they enjoy spending time with.
Ask them how they feel when they are spending time with these people, or when they are getting into their favourite hobbies. They probably feel very happy and welcome, as well as glad to have them around, which is where you can explain how this is a part of feeling grateful.
Pay attention to your child’s emotions
There’s always the concern that your child will feel like they’re missing out when their friends have the latest video game console, or a new toy that everyone’s been talking about. It can be disheartening to tell your child that they can’t have everything they want, either, as it can mean your child becomes upset as they don’t understand.
This is when you can identify when your child is feeling upset or having a low mood. Remind them that they have many different things at home that they can appreciate and love. Tell them about the importance of looking after what they already own, and work on their understanding of feeling spoiled.
Similarly you can sit with your child and work on how they react when something fun happens in their life. Do they feel more motivated when they receive rewards, or are they happy for the experience they have? You can define this with your child, and work towards their own goals, with exploring gratitude in mind.
Consider a journal for your child
Writing in a diary or journal every day will mean that your child has the chance to reflect on their day, their time at school, or they have experienced something important on that day. A journal is great for reminding yourself what you did in a day and how you overcame a problem or a scenario with your friends. It does mean that your child becomes more aware of their day-to-day impact, and in effect shows them what it means to be grateful all the time. They’re slowly learning how to adapt to difficult situations, and use their journal to effectively solve problems. Setting a good example at home will show your child how they can manage their thoughts and feelings in their diary, and has big benefits to their mental health as well.