Teaching my children to be thankful is difficult,
“You ALWAYS have something to be thankful for”…
this is something I tell my kids Every.Single.Day! I sound like a broken record.
Are you saying the same thing? Do you wish your children would stop asking for more, more, more and just be happy with what they have? I sure do, but I also remember what it was like to be a kid and always wanting more and always wanting what my friends had. I try to not get too frustrated with them since I was the same way as a kid and even as adults we struggle with wanting more and what our friends have.
November is the month that is advertised as the month to be thankful since it coincides with Thanksgiving. Well, I decided when Emily was 5, we needed to talk about being thankful more than just in a dedicated month and then periodically throughout the year.
I started a “Thankful” board for her and everyday she writes what she is thankful for. Since she couldn’t yet spell very well she would draw pictures and on the back I would write her words of thankfulness.
I keep our thankful board along with two jars on our entryway table. One jar has the paper scraps to write the thankful and the other jar we drop the thankfuls into. Then, I rotate them out and pin new and old thankfuls on the board. It is neat to see your childs thinking evovle.
My board is in a main area of our home so the board is seen through out the day. Put your board somewhere where it will be a reminder to everyone to stay thankful.
Materials Used
- a framed padded bulletin board ( I got mine at Home Goods, one of my favorite stores!)
- scrapbook paper cut into small squares
- 2 jars (1 small, 1 large)
- twine
- paper to write “Thankful”
- push pins ( I used sewing pins)
How do you teach your children gratitude?
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9 Comments
Hi Allison thank you for the reminder to say thank you. I love your post. This is a reminder not just for kids but for us all.
As we have so much going on in our lives we forget the simple things. Like being thankful for waking in the morning, thank you for the rent payment I was able to make this month, thank you for my sight,etc
We must remember to thank our Creator.
Thank you. Your comment is beautiful. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Life changes in an instant so being thankful for the things we take for granted are a must, like walking and seeing. I am so glad that you found my post and made a comment.
I love this idea! We say what were thankful for a few nights a week at dinner. Having it on a board in a common area makes it’s presence so much more! Thank you!
I love that you have the discussion at dinner. I’m going to have to incorporate that in a few times a week. Thanks for sharing what you do.
This is a great idea, and a reminder for when my daughter is older! It’s so important to stay positive and be thankful each and every day! You are doing a great job!!
It is not easy! Kids express how they truly feel so trying to keep those feelings hidden are difficult for them. It takes training, which sounds like you have that down. Thanks for stopping by!
It is so strange when my 5 yo doesn’t say thank you for something and I remind her with an ehem and she promptly says “thank you”, but when it’s something that she is deeply grateful for she is very quick with the thank you and is gushing with gratitude. I love the latter expression and I try to use the former as a teaching moment by reminding her that no matter how she feels about the gift she should be grateful to have been thought of enough to get a gift. It’s definitely not easy!
Thanks for the kind words. I’m so happy I found Mama Blog Monday!
I am in love with everything about this! The idea, the board, the paper, the jars, EVERYTHING!! I would love to do this when my daughter is a little older! Thank you so much for sharing at Mama Blog Monday!