Seven Ways To Increase Gratitude In Children

Being grateful offers many benefits to the whole world. For individuals, these benefits range from physical health to mental health. However, encouraging gratitude in children, especially during adolescence, is especially important.

Young teens who know how to be grateful and show gratitude are more likely to be happy. They are less likely to have behavioral problems and drug or alcohol abuse. Adolescents who show gratitude also tend to be more optimistic about the future, which is extremely important when the time comes to choose a college.

However, despite the benefits of gratitude during adolescence, being young and being grateful don’t always go hand in hand. Parents should encourage gratitude in their children, but this is not always easy. In this article we therefore give some important advice on how to do this.

Be a role model for gratitude

You want to teach your kids so much. To teach them gratitude, you have to set a good example yourself. You must be a role model and practice gratitude yourself. This can be tricky, but it’s important. Studies show that adolescents are often confused about family values ​​because their parents say one thing but do another.

In other words,  telling your child to be grateful will only be effective if you, and your spouse, show gratitude in your own lives. To do this, you should show your child that you appreciate the good things that happen around you, from the nice weather to the tasty food. When you spend time together as a family, don’t complain and don’t use every little thing as an excuse to protest and criticize. Instead, spend time recognizing the things that you and your children appreciate and that make you happy.

Talk about the things you appreciate

Each person values ​​different things. It is therefore important to talk about these ideas as a family. Discuss them together, in a relaxed way, and give everyone the space to share experiences and contribute to the discussion.

Don’t try to tell your kids what they should be thankful for. Instead, teach them to appreciate what they have and what they are experiencing, even the little things that seem insignificant.

Take advantage of difficult situations to show gratitude

It’s easy to show gratitude when things are going well. However, it is not so easy to show gratitude when you are going through hard times or facing unforeseen problems. During these tough times, when you need to make the most of it, you can help your children discover why gratitude is important.

It’s important to help your kids find something to be thankful for, even during the worst of times. Even when things don’t go their way, you have to show them that good things can happen. Even in the most dramatic, unpleasant and confusing situations, they can learn new and important lessons. It is important to teach them that what causes them distress today can help them be a better person in the future.

Build a wall of gratitude

Sometimes it’s not easy to express gratitude and find out which things can make you feel grateful. A helpful way to express and discover yourself is to create a wall of gratitude. Choose a wall in a common area of ​​your home where the whole family can hang messages of gratitude and pictures of everything they are grateful for.

The wall of gratitude acts as a collaborative creative activity, making it easier for each member of the family to express themselves and get to know themselves. It promotes thoughtful reflection and offers the chance to discover so much about life, your family and the person you are.

Help your child find purpose in life

Adolescents who do things they are passionate about are much more likely to be grateful. Help your kids explore the different opportunities they have in their lives to discover something that motivates them and that they are passionate about. Service tasks are particularly suitable for teaching your child to appreciate what he has and to be grateful.

Promote intrinsic motivation

Outside motivation can help adolescents behave kindly when other people are watching, but if you want your child to act altruistically and be grateful then they should focus on motivation from within.

Talk to your kids about how they feel when they help others and how gratitude can improve their mood and even their overall well-being. These benefits can serve as motivation to experience gratitude more often.

Encourage independence in your child

It is important that adolescents develop a sense of independence and self-reliance. When they are able to make healthy decisions for themselves and feel rewarded for doing so by their own positive behavior and not just by what their parents say to them, young people are more likely to experience gratitude.

Help your children develop these essential abilities for gratitude, such as problem solving and assertiveness. Provide them with every possible opportunity to make independent decisions. This will help them develop a sense of pride for what they have and who they are, which in turn will fuel their gratitude and appreciation for the world around them.