we have buckled down on gratitude around here over the past year {we followed these steps right HERE}. when i sat down to gather my thoughts on this topic…even i was blown away at the benefits we were seeing!
like everyone else, we had to really dig deep over the past couple months. all of our practice looking on the bright side of things was put to the test when it started to feel like nothing was going the way it usually does {with no end in sight…? HELLO pandemic!}.
but what a lesson for our kids to learn EARLY…how to be happy and content in the moment even when it is not going your way!!! when gratitude is practiced as a skill, kids can become faster and better at turning it around when it comes to their attitudes. thank goodness!
i’ll be honest, when i started this unofficial experiment with my own kids, i hoped and kind of expected our gratitude practice to result in sunnier moods {and i hoped i could pass on the tips to YOU}. BUT i was really surprised when i also noticed these 5 SURPRISING Benefits of Gratitude in Kids:
1. LESS COMPLAINING. i think when we can get kids in the habit of seeing what’s going well over what’s not, it results in less complaining overall. i noticed this most with my son. he is more prone to making a list of all the things going wrong {instead of right}. as we’ve worked on practicing gratitude as a skill, i’ve noticed he’s not making that list as often!! the negative is just not what he sees first anymore – praise God! and both of my older kids have also become faster at seeing the big picture when i tell them “no” and ask them to appreciate what they have. game changer!
2. BETTER PROBLEM SOLVING. i thought about why i was seeing more of this in our house and decided that when kids practice looking for the good in all situations, they are able to see more possibilities when it comes to solving problems on their own. it makes sense, right? but i never thought about before now. instead of immediate defeat when something goes wrong, kids who practice gratitude can think through more options and pick themselves up from a problem more quickly.
3. BETTER CONTROL OVER ALL EMOTIONS. i have watched and as we’ve reminded about gratitude more often, it has suddenly become a more accessible emotion for the kids. now that gratitude is on their radar as a practiced choice, they have another option over frustration, sadness, or worry. having this more positive go-to when it comes to feelings gave them a new tool to help control emotions. in short, this means less melt downs and a happier Mama!
4. BETTER RELATIONSHIPS. this one wasn’t as surprising but has still been so nice to see! as our kids have been encouraged to express gratitude towards one another through words of affirmation, surprise thank you notes, etc., they’ve gotten more comfortable noticing and SAYING OUT LOUD the small things they appreciate about friends and other family.
5. INDEPENDENCE. this one might be my favorite because it has meant a mental break for ME!!! as the kids have gotten into the the habit of seeing the positive side of things on their own, there is less convincing, explaining, and cheering up for me to do! they also have the language to encourage each other to think more positively which means less reminders from me and more freedom for them!
all of this is to say…we’ve been following 3 DOABLE STEPS to up our gratitude game and it has changed WAY MORE AROUND HERE than i ever expected. and because there is nothing better than sharing and learning from each other as moms, you can grab the 3 STEPS we followed along with other fun gratitude resources for your own family RIGHT HERE AT THIS LINK!
