Gratitude is a concept, a way of life that helps people live, feel and function better in their relationships.
Are we born grateful or do we become grateful as life goes on?
Certainly, gratitude is something that requires practice. In addition, children are not born with an understanding of concepts such as gratitude and appreciation, and often what happens is that they experience their desires as urgent, for example "I want you to buy me this toy now!", Although it may not be something they need.
Thus, gratitude is something that parents should gradually teach their children over time and help them integrate it into their daily lives and steadily learn to manage their desires as well.
A 2019 study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that gratitude is associated with happiness in 5-year-olds. This means that instilling gratitude in your children at a young age could help them grow and become happier people.
How can we teach children gratitude?
Become a role model.
Children imitate their parents' behaviors and many times you do not need to say anything but show it through your own behavior in dealing with situations. The same applies with gratitude. Take small pauses and say out loud what comes to your heart and mind. It can be something as small as "Look how lucky we are to be able to have a basket full of food at home with our family!"
Make a gratitude tree, vase or collage
Young children love making constructions and, thus, gratitude trees or vases are an easy way to keep gratitude alive on a daily basis. Every day, each member of the family writes something they are grateful for on a tree leaf or a vase note. This way you will be able to hear what is important to your children. Similarly, a collage can be a great visual aid for your children, helping them see the goodness in their life. Just collect some photos, magazines and catalogs and have your child cut out things he or she appreciates in life and is grateful for, noting down what he or she finds interesting.
Find gratitude at times of difficulty
When something unpleasant happens to you, your family or your child, it is a good opportunity to put gratitude into practice. After all, being able to recognize the good in a seemingly difficult situation is very important and worth the effort! Therefore, even if your child is sick or in a bad mood, you can find something positive to focus on, such as a warm meal, a comfortable bed. We cannot extinguish the evil, but we can shed more light on the good we have left.
Read books with your child
Reading with your children is so important on so many levels. It is a doorway to the outside world. Children's worlds are small and consist mainly of images and experiences within their family, their school and their friends. Books can help them understand and relate to things that are outside of their "world."
Make donations with your child
You can set a specific time during the year to donate your child’s clothes or old toys, reminding the child that this can make another toddler happy.