Create a Daily Practice of Gratitude

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the good things in life and embrace gratitude. But what exactly is gratitude? It's feeling thankful and appreciative for the good things in your life.

Gratitude is known to be a mood booster and improve your over-all wellbeing. It’s something you can practice with your children every day. Here are a few activities you can try:

• Start each day by having your child name something or someone they’re grateful for. Encourage them to be specific about why they appreciate that person or thing. This works great during breakfast or on the car ride to school.
• End the day with an attitude of gratitude. Spend five minutes asking your child what they were thankful for that day.
• Keep a family gratitude list, adding to it as often as needed. A fun way to do this is to write down moments of gratitude on slips of paper and store them in a Gratitude Jar. Take it out regularly to read what your family is thankful for.

At National Heritage Academies, we focus on gratitude throughout the month of November as part of our Moral Focus curriculum. By emphasizing virtues like gratitude, our goal is to nurture kindness, empathy, and character in our students.

If you would like to talk more with your kids about gratitude, try asking these questions:

• What does “gratitude” mean to you?
• When has someone thanked you, and how did it make you feel?
• When have you felt grateful recently?
• I’m grateful for ___. What are you grateful for?
• What have you been learning about gratitude in school?

Taking a moment to share what you're thankful for can make a big difference. Try it with your family this month and see how it changes your outlook.