11 Ways To Raise A Grateful Child

One of the most important roles that we can play is one of a parent or a mentor to those with so much to experience and learn.  The young minds are a sponge that take everything in and rank those of importance based on what the see and learn from parents and peers around them.  Teaching and helping with various values and helping the young mind develop and learn is a awesome task that you alone can help with by being a role model that they can see and learn from and a wealth of information and knowledge that you can share.  Some tips for raising a grateful child.

#1.   Use the phrase 'Thank You" often to your child

        Express gratitude for what they do and explain how proud they make you.

#2.   Let them hear you say thank you to others

       Constant reinforcement that you are grateful for others and what good their is in your daily activities.

#3.   Don't give your child everything they want.

       Let them develop patience and value and earned rewards.  Giving your child everything take away from the importance of learning that working towards a goal and helping them to ensure they truly want it by postponing and letting them self evaluate the want helps so much in long term development.

#4.  Provide them with opportunities to earn the things they want.

      Daily chores and tasks teaches and gives them the reward based system to earn things and helps them develop value in accomplishments and goal setting.

#5 . Keep rewards reasonable

     Fair and reasonable and achievable that teaches them value and strong habits with thankfulness and gratitude lessons.

#6.  Call them out when they are unappreciative

    Don't be shy don't be too harsh but if they need taught they need to understand what unappreciative behavior is and why it is counter intuitive to a grateful heart and life.

#7.  Give back to the community

   Simple tasks like yard sales, giving to the Goodwill and Salvation Army.  Help those less fortunate and being a guide as they are helping with these things.

#8.   Help your child see the need around themselves.

  Guidance and eye opening and showing the simple needs that others at times are less fortunate but doing it in a way that builds the gratitude message and a message of helpfulness and compassion.

#9.   Teach your child about developing countries

  Not every country has even fresh and abundant running water, and many other things we take for granted.  Teach the gratitude that we daily can learn and act upon and maybe lead to helping others with much less along the way.

#10 .  Incorporate daily gratitudes into your families routine

  A simple planned time to say a gratitude affirmation or have them practice expressing gratitude aloud or to a friend or relative. 

#11 .  Write thank you notes for them and have them do the same.

A random note to a family member another student, a teacher or even a babysitter.  Teach them the power of a hand written note or drawn picture and how it makes themselves feel when they get one and when they give one. Make it fun and make it often.

Just some tips for the day and hopefully shared across a lifetime.

Share smiles sent your way : )