Happy Thanksgiving!
At Citywise we believe that thankfulness is a core part of good character. Here are some tips, written by developmental psychologist Thomas Lickona, that we found really interesting on how you can nurture thankfulness in your children, and within your own life.
Teach Your Kids What Gratitude Is and Why It Matters
Explain to your children that expressing gratitude is a way of loving and a way of experiencing that they are loved. Being thankful also inspires us to want to be helpful in return.
Make Thankfulness Part of Your Family Culture
Talk about what kind of a family you want to be, and create a mission statement that will identify the core values you want to live by, including a commitment to thankfulness!
Thankfulness is Always a Choice
Charles Swindoll said: “Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it.” You can teach your children that they have control over how they react to what happens to them, and they can choose to be thankful for the good things in their life.
Write Appreciation Notes
Make a habit of writing notes to family members, teachers or friends with your children, to make them feel appreciated. Chat together with your children about what you are thankful to them for.
Count Your Blessings
Set time aside with your children to write down the things and the people you are thankful for. This can also be done in a gratitude journal! Remember to go back to what you have written and talk about it as a family.
Cut the Complaining
Complaining is the opposite of being thankful, and usually makes us feel worse. Try to commit to the challenge of spending 24 hours as a family without complaining. Discuss afterwards, and see if you could manage it for longer!
We’re going to have a go at a ‘no-complaining 24 hours’ in the Citywise offices- which may be difficult with a temperamental printer regularly causing havoc.
Research has found that cultivating thankfulness can also lead to a happier and healthier life. What better way to foster happiness and harmony in your life, home, and workplace?
For the full version of this article and more tips by Thomas Lickona, click here www.mothermag.com/how-to-raise-thankful-kids/
