By encouraging your child to look for the good in life and express gratitude on a regular basis, you will help them in a number of ways. For instance, they may feel more appreciative of the people around them and will therefore build stronger relationships. What’s more, they might feel more confident about their abilities and the support they have, encouraging them to take risks and overcome challenges more easily. They will become more empathetic towards those less fortunate. They may feel more optimistic about the future because they know that life is full of wonders. As you can see, there are lots of benefits to exploring gratitude with your child. If you’re wondering where to start, here are some tips from a prep school in Hertfordshire.
Fill Up a Gratitude Jar
Encourage your child to write down a little note about something they are grateful for each day, fold it up and put it in a jar. It can be something as simple as someone cooking them a meal, or something bigger like having a roof over your head. Then every now and again, or on a day when one of you is feeling a little down, you can have a look at the notes to remind yourselves of how fortunate you are.
Help Your Child Empathise
Help your child put things into perspective by helping them understand more about those less fortunate. Perhaps you could volunteer together at a homeless shelter or a care home. The idea is to try and help your child empathise with others so that they can not only learn to be kind and compassionate towards those in need, but they will also start to appreciate how lucky they are.
Send Thank You Cards
Encourage your child to express gratitude directly when someone has done something nice by sending thank you cards and gifts to people whom they appreciate. For instance, they could send a card and some flowers to their teacher at the end of the academic year to show they are grateful. They could also send thank you cards to everyone who attending their birthday party. By demonstrating gratitude in this way, it will eventually become a force of habit.
