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5 easy ways to teach kids how to be thankful

10/07/16 | Thanksgiving

happy-heart-2

When we are thankful for what we have we are given more of what we are grateful for. Simple… but true.  As a parent, I often wonder if I am modeling kindness and a grateful heart?  When my kids look at me – do they see a kind and gentle heart? Am I modeling kindness towards my spouse and family members at all times? 

These ” heart checks” help me regroup from any negative feelings or bad mood I’m in and get out of a funk in a jiffy.  Focusing on kindness and compassion helps me to bring sunshine into my own life as well as the lives of others.

gratitude

So how do I raise a kind hearted kid?

What activities can I do with my children to model and teach gratitude?

Teaching kids how to be kind and grateful is so much harder than just telling them to share and be polite. It takes daily effort, but simple acts add up and it’s much easier to fit into your life than you think and is one of the best ways to bring joy to our family and others.

We have rounded up a couple of our favourites activities and ideas that will help “cultivate an attitude of gratitude.”  Ones that I am sure the whole family will enjoy.

harvesting-a-grateful-heart-part-1

1.Make some gratitude stones like these from Fireflies and Mudpies or these gratefulness rocks from Teach Kids Art.

2.Use a thankfulness jar like this one from The Realistic Mama. Decorate it and make it pretty if that suits your style.

3.Pass out some smile it Forward Kindness Cards from Kids Activities Blog

4.Make a sticky note door hanger so your kids can write something they are thankful for on the sticky notes that are attached each day from Parents Magazine.

5.Have a gratitude photo scavenger hunt with your family from Let’s Get Together.

Which ones is your favourite?

Do you have any suggestions for family gratitude activities? How do you encourage your kids to be thankful and express gratitude?

Comments | 22 comments

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Comments

  1. Lois Alter Mark says

    December 17, 2016 at 12:34 am

    I love this idea! I think there’s nothing more important than gratitude, and the earlier we can teach that to kids, the happier they’ll be.

    Reply
  2. carissa garabedian says

    November 22, 2016 at 1:54 pm

    We do the thankful jar too, I love that one! Thank you for these great ideas, it is so important for us as well as our kids to learn and display gratitude.

    Reply
  3. Claudia Krusch says

    November 2, 2016 at 2:18 pm

    I love your ideas! I’m always telling my son he needs to be grateful and thankful for small blessings! Loved your post!

    Reply
  4. Pamela King says

    November 2, 2016 at 4:10 am

    This is a great idea. This would even work for adults. Hmmm, I may need to do this for my husband.

    Reply
  5. Laura Funk says

    October 25, 2016 at 12:22 pm

    I love that sticky note door hanger. What a great idea. I cannot wait until my kids can write and do things like this.

    Reply
  6. Ashley @irishred02 says

    October 24, 2016 at 11:17 pm

    These are great ideas for the season. I like the thankful jar!

    Reply
  7. Jasmine says

    October 24, 2016 at 10:30 pm

    Those gratitude stones are super cute! I try my hardest to remind my kids to be thankful but this would such a fun way to get them more involved in the whole process.

    Reply
  8. victoria says

    October 24, 2016 at 11:03 am

    This is absolutely a great idea. I will keep this in my mind. Glad you share this post!

    Reply
  9. Emma Spellman says

    October 23, 2016 at 3:36 am

    I love the thankful jar idea. I will have to start doing that with me boys.

    Reply
  10. Milena says

    October 20, 2016 at 11:24 pm

    These are great ideas for younger kids. My boys and I volunteer to serve and make meals at a soup kitchen. They are very thankful and I’m proud they are so giving.

    Reply
  11. Dawn Nieves says

    October 20, 2016 at 6:00 pm

    I love these ideas. Especially the Thankful Jar. I try my best to teach them both to be thankful and grateful and I hope they carry it with them as they get older. I’m definitely going to incorporate the Thankful Jar this year.

    Reply
  12. lesley sullivan says

    October 17, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    these ideas are adorable, I especially like the thankful jar. thank you for sharing

    Reply
  13. Vaishnavi says

    October 15, 2016 at 5:13 pm

    Love this. It is so important to teach our kids to be thankful, not just from lips but from heart. Awesome activities – my girl will love these. I’ve pinned it for a nice evening bonding time with my little one. Thank you!!

    Reply
  14. Jennifer McCoy says

    October 15, 2016 at 4:36 pm

    These are such wonderful ideas! will definitely be using some of them and pinned for future reference!

    Reply
  15. Claudia Krusch says

    October 14, 2016 at 8:31 pm

    Love your post! Such an important concept to teach to young ones!

    Reply
  16. Allison says

    October 14, 2016 at 6:26 pm

    Great ideas! I am saving this for my little one as he gets older!

    Reply
  17. Rachel- Volcano Mama says

    October 14, 2016 at 5:20 pm

    Love the thankfulness jar! I try to ask my little one about his favorite parts of the day before bed so he remembers something positive 🙂

    Reply
  18. Amanda | Maple Alps says

    October 14, 2016 at 1:32 pm

    These are all really neat ideas! I’ll definitely be keeping them in mind – so great when kids learn to be thankful 🙂

    Reply
  19. Laura B says

    October 14, 2016 at 1:24 am

    I often try to check in with my own behavior to make sure I’m modeling what I try to teach. Same as you, this evaluation helps me get myself back on track on difficult days. I appreciate these activity ideas and would love to start implementing things like this for my toddlers.

    Reply
  20. Nikki says

    October 13, 2016 at 7:17 pm

    I think the thankful jar is my favorite. Teaching kids to show gratitude young is very important.

    Reply
  21. maria @ close to home says

    October 12, 2016 at 7:25 pm

    I was just thinking about this and what I did wrong. I have teens and tweens and really don’t think they are grateful.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Essential Guide To Raising Compassionate Kids- Adventures With Four - Guest Post says:
    March 5, 2017 at 10:53 pm

    […] can have an amazing influence on a young child’s mind, especially when they experience the joy of giving. Apart from gratitude, this act will help the kids develop empathy as well. There are even special […]

    Reply

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