Practicing Gratitude

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1Thessalonians 5:18

With the holiday season approaching, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving are a great time to teach your children to practice gratitude.  Children often mimic the actions they see, so there is no better way to teach gratitude, than by showing it.

Say “thank you” any chance you can. Whether it is to the cashier checking you out at Target or your server at your favorite restaurant, when your children are young, they will probably ask why you are saying thank you. Make sure you discuss the reason you are saying thank you and encourage them to do the same. Being kind and saying thank you is a great way to reinforce gratitude in your life while you are teaching your children how to express it in their everyday lives.

Express thankfulness for all the things that God brings to you, not just the obvious good things. As an example, maybe you do not like the rainy weather. Rather than saying “I hope it stops raining soon, I hate gloomy weather.” You could say, “I am thankful for this rainy weather that is watering the grass and cooling down the air.” Implementing this into your daily conversations will show that all God allows in our lives should be received with gratitude.

Ask your child what they are grateful for. Having your child express gratitude will make them more aware of the greatness around them. You could ask them at the dinner table what they are grateful for today, or maybe when you are putting them to bed. Ask them what and why they are grateful. Having a daily genuine conversation about gratitude will teach them to look out for things they are grateful for throughout the day. 

The Lord blesses us in our lives daily, and it is important that our children and grandchildren understand that and can express it from an early age. Thanksgiving is a great time for children to learn that and practice, then eventually apply that in their everyday lives. As your children get older, they will have some high mountains to climb that may seem impossible. A grateful heart will keep them grounded and focused on the Lord in all circumstances.