How to teach my son to be grateful?

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Gratitude is not just about good manners. Gratitude teaches you to value, accept and enjoy your life. This feeling is closely related to the concept of happiness, which does not always depend on material wealth. What makes us happy is the joy we have and the opportunity to help others.

SourceTherefore, gratitude is not limited at all to teaching the child to say "thank you" and "please." Raising gratitude in a child has nothing to do with a sense of duty ("you should be grateful to your parents because they raised you"), but this helps you learn to appreciate what you have.

Encouraging gratitude: how to teach children to feel the value of what is gratitude is one of the basic traits of a happy person.

SourceBut how to raise a grateful child in our materialistic world? Regular requests to say "please" and "thank you" are not enough. Gratitude is the ability to appreciate what you have. To instill this skill, you must regularly repeat these exercises.

Gifts this day.

Each day, regardless of the time of day, sit down with the child and make a list of the gifts of this day: moments, events and impressions for which he is grateful. They can be people, games, food, anything. The main thing is to learn to see what is happening to us as a gift.

Do you remember ...

Good points need to be fixed. Remembering the pleasant events of the day, say: "Remember what you liked when ...", "How happy were you when ...", "How happy were you when ..." And even a negative situation can turn into gratitude, for example when you have prepared something that the child refuses to eat: "It's good that we do not force you to eat what you do not like!"

You are taking care of

Part of the ability to thank is the ability to care for others. Even if a child does something routine: keep his toys or put his plate after a meal in the sink, say: "That's how careful you are!" Of course, also say "thank you", but praise and support the child the idea that being attentive, responsible and loving is very important.

What can we share with others today?

What we have known for a long time has been confirmed by scientific research: young children are happier when they have the opportunity to entertain and share with others. But more joy brings them a gift that is dear to them: made with their own hands or bought with the money saved. In fact, kind words can also be given. You can share a candy or a toy. Your task is to make sure that this happens (consciously) at least once a day.

We are so lucky!

At any time of the day, remember the luck you have: the days left before the weekend, what is on your feet are comfortable and beautiful shoes, the last toilet to the park.

How cool is it?

This exercise is similar to the previous one, but sometimes it is better to simply change the phrase, for a change. "It's great when the whole family drinks tea together, right?" Or "It's great that we have time to lie on the couch, right?" Or "It's great that we can share thoughts and ideas, right?"

SourceHappiness is not the result of receiving something that we do not have, it is an acknowledgment of the value of what we have. Believe me, children, especially children, do not see how much their efforts are worth their comfort and their happy childhood. But if you practice regularly with them to notice and appreciate what they have, they will definitely learn to appreciate your parents' work and everything that surrounds them.

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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://roseri.vornix.blog/2019/06/05/how-to-teach-my-son-to-be-grateful/

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