Being grateful is a key element of a human’s personality that can cultivate happiness and positive vibes. And without being grateful, a person is always complaining and unsatisfied with his life. This dissatisfaction could cause lifelong harm to the kids. So, it is vital to teach kids to be grateful when they are at a young age.
Being thankful is a healthy personality trait that all parents or adults should try to cultivate in youngsters. It is vital to make them understand things in a positive and empathetic way. Gratitude helps to let them appreciate things instead of complaining about them. So, it should be the responsibility of adults to teach kids how to be grateful.
How To Teach Kids To Be Grateful?
It is not an easy task. But, here’s a little help that you can use to teach them this quality.
SAYING “THANK YOU”
You can teach your kids to say ‘Thank ‘ at little things so they are frequent in saying this. Give them gentle reminders that they have to repay for any kindness with at least a thank you.
It works as a small step towards appreciating others’ efforts. Thank You does not seem to be a very big thing but a great initiative for the young ones. You can also make your kids write Thank You notes to people who do good for them.
This can only work well if you back it up with appreciation. Appreciate your kid whenever he or she says thanks to someone. It will eventually make them grow into grateful human beings who are pleased and appreciate what others do for them.
TALKING ABOUT GRATITUDE
One other way to teach kids how to be grateful is to talk about gratitude with your kids. The best time to do this is to be at the dining table when the whole family sits together. Promote a family culture of saying a Thank You prayer at the dining table before having your meal.
Set this as a family rule that whenever your kids are having a meal, they must learn to remember everything that they are grateful for in their lives. Appreciation from family also plays a very important part in helping kids be better.
CONTRIBUTING TO HOUSE CHORES
Letting the kids help with house chores can make a big deal in teaching them gratitude. This act will help them to learn to share and serve others. It also helps them to learn that they are responsible for things in the house.
By helping with house chores, kids learn to see how they are responsible in a family. Everyone has a part in the house chores so it assists in making them feel gratitude and a sense of responsibility.
DONATING
Make your kids learn to give donations to the needy people in the community. It will cultivate empathy in them. Looking at people in a lesser privileged position than them will help them to feel for themselves. A habit of donating and helping those people could bring about positive changes in the personality of kids.
They will also feel thankful for everything that they have that others do not. So, the kids understand that they should be happy with whatever they have rather than being ungrateful.
AS A PARENT YOU SHOULD MODEL GRATITUDE
Modelling gratitude means setting examples in front of your kids regarding what you are thankful for. Doing good and speaking it out loud in front of your kids will also help them to follow your path. Little kids learn from their surroundings. So, it is impossible that our kids will turn out to be grateful if we are always complaining about things. So, practically set your own example rather than giving them abstract ideas.
HAVE A GRATITUDE JOURNAL
One way to teach kids to be grateful is to keep a journal. Help them learn a habit of penning down things that they are thankful for. From having a healthy body to eating meals every day, encourage them to write about everything that pleases them.
After keeping a regular journal, they will also do more activities that they will learn gratitude. When the day ends, instil kids to think about what they did right and how they are grateful for it.
READING BOOKS
Children’s literature could help them learn fictional examples of being good. Find some good books for your kids that will teach them things that we cannot. The youngsters could find their fictional characters doing acts of kindness and will follow their lead.
A habit of reading is healthy for everyone. Also, in learning thankfulness, reading books can be very helpful when parents cannot teach something. Storytelling, visual images, and cartoonized characters could be good example-setters than living human beings.
REFRAIN FROM SPOILING YOUR KIDS
Never spoil your kids with whatever they demand. It is not necessary to give them everything that they wish for. They should learn that the world is not in their hands and they have to feel a sense of disappointment over a few things. Teach them to earn things through their actions. If the kids are to get something, they have to mend their actions in a way that they get what they deserve.
