Looking for ways to up the gratitude in your daily life? Wishing you could somehow teach others to be more grateful?

There are tons of ways to do this! What I see as the #1 contributor to others being grateful, is having a good role model!

If you show and model the way to have a grateful heart, those who look up to you will (hopefully) follow in your footsteps.

Here are a few ways to do just that…

Service Projects

The top way to teach gratitude is to get your hands dirty, literally! Go to help someone by doing a service project. You can start by researching volunteer opportunities in your area online, calling local churches, or asking the extended family. Narrow down your project, have a family meeting to get everyone on board. Talk about who and why you’re going to help. Finally, come back together as a family when it’s over and discuss how it felt… you may want to start planning your next one!

See some service project ideas below…

• Organize a food drive
• Make cards for senior citizens
• Collect donations for an animal shelter
• Decorate placemats for Meals on Wheels
• Make no-sew blankets for a homeless shelter
• Volunteer to read newspapers at a nursing home
• + Much More

Gratitude Journal

Another great way to teach kids how to be thankful (and even remind yourself) is to keep a gratitude journal. This is a simple journal of things you were thankful for that day. Take time to read over your past thoughts and remind yourself of all your blessings. Over time, you will start to notice a positive mind shift from where you started and you will begin to recognize gratitude in all of life’s little things. At school, this would be great to do at the beginning or end of a small group. If you are a classroom teacher or in rotations, this might be something to do for the month of November!

Want to take it a step further at home… you can have a combined “mommy/daddy and me” journal. Write letters to each other about what you were thankful for today. Be prepared to cry and be blown away by what they tell you. This is a super powerful tool! Start the letter to your child explaining what you will be doing, leave the letter with a question, and let your child write one back to you.

Daily Affirmations

Have you ever heard the phrase, “practice makes perfect”? Well, it’s kinda true! For instance, if you train your brain to think on the positive side, you indeed become more positive and thankful! I like to leave sticky notes around my house with positive affirmations o my kids and husband read them. But, It doesn’t have to stop at home, you can do the same thing at school with kids or teachers. The workroom is a great place to drop positive affirmations.

If you have a student committee or club at school, they can help you pass out affirmations to other students. Also, just learning the language of being positive can really help change the climate among kids.

Here are just a few affirmations…

• I am loved
• I am kind
• I will focus my attention on gratitude and love
• I am responsible
• I am relaxed
• I have faith in myself
• I am thankful each day
• I am grateful
• + Much More

Say/Show “Thank You” Every Day

This does not have to be hard! Every day, make it a point to thank someone. The secretary, janitor, cook, co-counselor, teacher, admin, you name it! People feel appreciated when you let them know. A simple “thank you” and acknowledgment goes a long way!

We started doing action teams at school this year and one of our teachers is leading the “Gratitude Group”, these students decide who they want to thank and honor that month at the assembly! Then on an assembly day, the student cheerleaders come up and the gratitude group announces who they are grateful for. That person or group then comes up and runs through the cheerleaders! It has been a great way for students to show gratitude and honor those who help us out!

Teaching Gratitude Through Books

One of my favorite ways to teach is through books! I love to hear the students personal connections to different stories.

Check out my Top 5 for teaching Gratitude…

Thankful, by Eileen Spinelli

This book is written full of adorable rhymes to relay the message of being thankful every day. This book reminds kids the importance of being thankful for all the blessings in life, big and little.

Thanks a Million, by Nikki Grimes

This book shows us how powerful a simple “thank you” can be. Written throughout the book are sixteen amazing poems dedicated to helping one be thankful.

Llama Llama Gives Thanks, by Anna Dewdney

This book teaches that although Thanksgiving only comes once a year, it is important to be thankful all year round.

Those Shoes, by Maribeth Boelts

This is the perfect story for kids in the classroom to relate to! Sometimes there isn’t room for “wants”,  just “needs”. Jeremy quickly learns to be thankful for what he does have.

Thank you, Mr. Falker by, Patricia Polacca

This book can be used for so many lessons, that’s why it’s one of my favorites! The young girl, Trisha, is struggling to read. Her teacher, Mr. Falker, doesn’t give up. this book teaches students how to appreciate and be thankful for the teachers who help with their struggles.

 

How do you teach gratitude, at home or at school? What differences have you noticed?