By Jennifer Chung, Kinsights.com
Thanksgiving time beckons for each of us to declare the things we’re thankful for. For many adults, the answer comes easily—our health, family, love or maybe a new job. Teaching kids thankfulness can be a little trickier. But once they are able to understand, they quickly realize the amazing feeling they get from giving back and feeling grateful. There are many fun and interesting ways to teach kids to be thankful from a young age. And the younger they start, the more engrained it will be as they get older. Here are few ideas for helping to teach your kids thankfulness:
Start a thankfulness family routine—Start a family ritual of sharing things each family member is thankful for each day, possibly during dinner or before bedtime. Try to keep the emphasis off material things, such as, an X-Box or a toy they really like. Simply ask them one thing they are thankful for that day or week, and have a little discussion about why they are grateful. You could even start a family thankfulness journal where you document the things you’re thankful for. This is something that can be kept through the years and reflected upon.
Volunteer at a food bank or shelter—Collect canned foods or ask for donations to help fill the food bank. Asking people for change is a super easy way to get people to donate. Who isn’t willing to part with loose change in their pocket? Most soup kitchens are filled with volunteers on Thanksgiving, but not the remainder of the year, so consider volunteering after the holidays.
Daily Thank You Postcard—During the month of November, have your kids write a special note or picture on a postcard and send to someone you’re thankful for. This could be a grandparent, aunt, teacher, coach, pastor, friend, etc. Include a reason you are thankful for this person on the postcard and mail. Who wouldn’t love to receive a postcard like this in the mail?
Sign the family up for a local charity run—“Turkey Trots” are races held across the U.S. on Thanksgiving. Most often they benefit local charities. Not only are these runs for a good cause, but they’re also a way to burn calories for you and energy for the kiddos. What a fun event to get your family involved in and could become an annual tradition.
Thanksgiving Random Acts of Kindness—This takes a little work and forethought but such a worthy deed. First pick a few people you’d like to gift with an act of kindness. Then decide what you’d like to give them. Add a special note and deliver. This could be a turkey for a family in need, a box with warm gloves and hats for a shelter, an invite to your house for Thanksgiving.
Visit a retirement home and bring treats—Many elderly people spend the holidays alone, especially if their families and kids live far away. Life can be very lonely living in a retirement home, add in the sadness of spending a holiday without friends and family. But there’s one thing most all older people love and it’s children! Bake cookies or put together a little gift bag and hand them out at your local retirement home. You’ll be making a holiday a bit brighter for the elderly and teaching your kids the importance of giving back
“Caught You Being Thankful” Jar—Take a different approach to teaching kids gratefulness simply by catching them in the act and noticing. When you witness your kids thanking a sibling for sharing a toy or saying thank you for dinner, reward them by putting a bean in a jar. When the jar is full, you’ll donate $5 (or any amount you choose) to your child’s favorite charity. This also creates a little healthy competition between siblings which can be a very positive thing and push kids to try a bit harder to show their thankfulness!
Show off your model behavior—Make sure you’re modeling the behavior you want your kids to learn. Watching you will help them to better understand this very important lesson. Let them witness you in small gestures such as taking a meal to a family who just had a baby, taking cookies to an elderly neighbor who doesn’t get out much, shoveling snow for a neighbor or sending cards to our Troops.
Consider incorporating some of these ideas into your daily routine so you have a focus on thankfulness every day not just during the holiday season. Kids will naturally follow your lead. Even if you make a daily habit of sharing one thing you’re thankful for each day at dinner, your kids will develop the attitude of being grateful for the small things that happen in your daily lives.
About Jennifer Chung & Kinsights:
Jennifer Chung is a parenting expert and co-founder of Kinsights.com: part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to seek answers to their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more. Connect with Kinsights at https://kinsights.com to learn more and sign-up! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@kinsights).
