Thisholiday season is a time of giving, but gifts come in many packages. There are the kind wrapped in colorful paper complete with a beautiful bow, but the most important gifts cannot be put in a box. Just to mention a few, there are the gifts of friends and family, the gift of learning, the gift of sharing with others, and the gift of gratitude.
How do you teach gratitude to children? Naming it and modeling it will show them its importance. Here are just a few suggestions to get you going. I’m sure as the holiday season progresses, you and your kids will come up with even more.
Think of yourself less. Instead of focusing on what you will get in your stocking, focus on what you can put into the stockings of others. The opportunities are endless… be it donating food to the food shelf, buying one or several gifts for children in need, giving money to a non-profit for a cause you care about, or giving time to others such as visiting the elderly in a nursing home on a holiday. Brainstorming, choosing and then following through on what works and is most important for your family is a real life experience in gratitude your children will carry with them for their entire lives.
Be grateful for the hard times as well as the good times. Everyone goes through hard times. Even if you aren’t currently going through a hard time, you certainly are close to someone who is. Spend time with your children talking about how to handle hard times and how to help others with theirs. Do what you can, even if it’s simply providing a listening ear to a troubled friend or family member.
Learn to collaborate. Working in a group for the common good, be it for a personal or family situation, community problem or situation, national or international cause, is very empowering. It’s another lifelong skill in gratitude that can be taught to children starting at a very young age. There is power and magic in numbers.
Embrace change, instead of fearing change. Be it a positive, welcomed change such as a child leaving home for college, or one brought about by a crisis such as a death, change is often very painful or uncomfortable at best. Learning to be grateful for the changes that occur in our lives will go a long way to realizing the good that will surely come with time. Our own memories as well as the history books are full of important examples. Spend some time telling and reading stories of people during times of change. There are many traditional holiday stories that fit right into this idea.
And last but not least, count your blessings. We all have so many! One special way to share this with loved ones is to ask each person in the family or gathering to write some down and put them in a “gratitude” gift box, then read them during a holiday meal or before opening the presents under the tree. Kelly Dupre of Grand Marais is an artist,
children’s author, and educator with over
20 years teaching experience with all age
groups in a variety of settings. The activities
in this once-a-month column are spinoffs
and combinations of ideas she has
used and learned from teachers, parents,
kids, books, and workshops. Only some of
the activities has she actually thought of
herself!
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