RAISING GRATEFUL HEARTS
Ideas to embrace gratitude in your day-to-day.
Parenting during the holidays can be beautiful and chaotic. It encompasses moments of joy, the nostalgic embrace of cherished childhood traditions, and, let’s face it, moments where we wish for a brief hideaway as our children’s behaviour leaves us bewildered.
While fostering thankfulness is a gradual process, the holidays are a wonderful time to build in moments of mindful gratitude. Taking time to pause, embrace and teach gratitude are important to build resilience and empathy. Here are some ideas from our Birdie community to incorporate gratitude into daily life, we hope there are a few new ideas that might work for your family.
Start Small: Thank you.
Teaching children to say thank you is a foundational element of gratitude. Guiding and prompting children to say “thank you” serves as an introduction to the process of being thankful. However, it’s the process of reflection that nurtures the ability to notice and comprehend reasons for gratitude from an early age. So, keep talking about the feelings and thoughts that prompt the thank you’s in your day-to-day interactions.
Gratitude Conversations
Initiate a daily tradition of discussing gratitude during family meals or bedtime routines. Encourage children to articulate what they are thankful for each day. This simple practice cultivates mindfulness and appreciation, provides a moment of positive reflection, and nudges parents to reflect on their own daily gratitude. The practice of these conversations benefits the mental well-being of children, as well as that of parents, family members, babysitters and caregivers who participate the practice with them.
Acts of Kindness and Giving
Engage in acts of kindness as a family. Whether donating toys or clothes to those in need, volunteering collectively, or even small gestures like a hand-made card or cookies for a neighbour, involving children cultivates empathy and purpose. Often times it’s the smallest acts of giving that are the most powerful in helping children understand their impact and importance.
Meditation for Young Minds
It is widely known that mindfulness practices, including meditation, have been found to enhance gratitude. But, engaging our children in this activity is less commonly practiced, yet incredibly impactful. Being present in the moment and focusing on the positive aspects of life can help young children recognize and appreciate the good things around them. Like anything, start small and see if it is something that can work for your family even if only for a minute.
Gratitude Writing and Art
For young children, drawing or creating crafts representing moments, people, or things they are grateful for and can elevate the feeling of gratitude. Older children, and parents can explore journaling or art to take in moments and reflect on the people, or experiences, they are most grateful for.
Practice, practice, practice
Practicing gratitude has the potential to enrich the lives of parents or sitters, while nurturing a positive environment for children to thrive. It instills resilience, fosters empathy, and cultivates a mindset of abundance, teaching children appreciation. Making it a daily practice whether on a walk, at mealtime, on the drive home from soccer, or before bed, can improve mental-wellbeing and strengthen relationships.
At Birdie, we are tirelessly focused on providing reliable, safe, and trusted childcare. By giving parents a break, we hope to create the space for more moments to focus on fostering gratitude and connection.