Nurturing Gratitude In Your Home

Take a gratitude break to calm everyone down and gain a new, more uplifting perspective.

Get a Happiness Boost

Gratitude is one of the most important ways to get a happiness boost, providing us with so many incredible psychological, physical, and interpersonal benefits. It improves our health while reducing stress, helping us to focus on the positive. Stepping back and being thankful for what we have gives us energy, inspires us, and transforms us. It also helps us realize that life is truly a gift.

Here are some ways to instill a gratitude habit in your home:

Gratitude journals

Whether it is a smile from a stranger, a good grade on a test, a gift from a relative, or an awe-inspiring sunset, appreciating these experiences in a journal can be an excellent benefit for our kids. Keep it fun and encourage them to use different media, such as blogs and videos.

Thanksgiving at dinner each evening

Thanksgiving Day happens just once a year, but we can be thankful each evening as we sit down together at the dinner table. Enjoy your time with your family and encourage your children to tell you about their day with a focus on those things to be thankful for. Ask them to remember to thank siblings and other family members.

Begin a gratitude jar to collect your family’s thankful statements all year and then read aloud each year on Thanksgiving.

Bedtime routine

The most important stress buster that I added to my life was introducing a gratitude prayer with my children every night as part of their bedtime routine. We each say one thing we are thankful for and one thing we hope for in the future. It is such a special time and has become a crucial part of our lives. My children love it so much that they now need to say thank you before they can fall asleep.

You can also read books about gratitude at bedtime, such as The Thankful Book by Todd Parr and My Grateful Book by Diana Smith.

Spontaneous Moments

Look for spontaneous gratitude moments with your children throughout the day, perhaps during the car ride to and from school or waiting in line at a store or in the doctor’s office. Make gratitude part of your children’s afterschool routine by asking what happened during their day and what they are grateful for.

Add some fun and interest by asking your kids to use the alphabet, colors, shapes, or other categories to guide them. For example, ask them to find one thing they are grateful for based on the colors of the rainbow, the delicious red apple they had during lunch, the bright blue sky, or the beautiful purple flower blooming in front of your house.

Spark their appreciation for nature by taking them to awe-inspiring places like gardens, the beach, parks, and hiking and camping spots.

If your day seems stressful and out of control, take a gratitude break to calm everyone down and gain a new, more uplifting perspective. Learning how to be grateful is something that we should pass on to our children. If you can get them into the habit of expressing gratitude from an early age, it is likely to have a positive effect throughout their lives.