How to Help Your Kids Start a Gratitude Practice

Many people think of gratitude as something you do as an adult to show appreciation for 
the many blessings in your life. While this is true, it is not reserved just for grownups. 
Kids and adolescents can also greatly benefit from a regular gratitude practice.


Why Gratitude is Important for the Kids Too

Everyone can benefit from expressing more gratitude on a regular basis, including your 
kids! It has been shown that kids who are more grateful and show appreciation for the 
good things in their life are happier in general and have a more positive outlook, just like 
adults.

But kids have some unique benefits to starting a gratitude practice at a younger age; 
they become optimistic, they are more positive influences in their community, they have 
stronger friendships, and their schoolwork is often much improved. Kids who are 
grateful can see the good in their lives, and that follows them through into adulthood.


Lead By Example

The best way to teach your kids about gratitude is to start leading by example. Even if 
you don’t realize it, your children are watching everything you do, and they will pick up 
on these habits over time. They won’t even be fully conscious of it themselves. But 
consider some habits your parents had that you picked up. You probably still have these 
good habits today, and now want to teach them to your own kids.

The same is true of gratitude. Here are some ways you can lead by example by 
expressing more gratitude on your own so that your kids will pick up the habit:

Always say thank you and make it a point to show why you are thankful
Show your appreciation for the small blessings in your life
Start a family gratitude jar where everyone adds notes about what they are grateful for
Say what you are grateful for at meal times, and allow the kids to do the same
Thank your kids whenever they do something you are happy about


Saying Thank you

Your kids might not completely understand the concept of gratitude, depending how old 
they are, but they can still say thank you and make a habit of this. Start encouraging 
your kids to say thank you whenever it is appropriate from an early age. The more they 
say thank you, the easier it will be to pick up an attitude of gratitude.

Another helpful tip for your kids is to ask them WHY they are thankful for something. 
Don’t put too much pressure on them, but when given the opportunity, ask what they 
are thankful for. Ask why they appreciate something. This can often open their minds to 
blessings in their life and see exactly what thy appreciate and the reasons why.


Simple Gratitude Practices for Kids

Now let’s get to the different gratitude practices that work great for kids. These are very 
simple to do and can actually be a lot of fun for your kids. 

Gratitude jar – A gratitude jar is a simple and fun activity for kids and the whole family. 
Get a big jar that can be used, and hand out sticky notes or any small piece of paper 
that can be folded up. Ask everyone in the family to write down something they are 
grateful for, fold it up, and put it in the jar. Ask your kids to add what they are grateful for 
to the jar when they think of it, and set a reward for when the jar is filled up. When it is 
full, give the kids the reward after you sit down and read everything they were grateful 
for. 

This activity not only lets them see how much they are grateful for in their life and start a 
practice of writing it down, but when you read back what everyone is grateful for, they 
will see even more things to appreciate in their life.

Gratitude journal – Another option is to give each child a journal or notebook and ask 
them to write down what they are grateful for. You can do this daily or weekly, 
depending on the age of your child and whether or not they enjoy writing. It is also a 
good way for them to practice their handwriting skills.

Dinner time gratitude – This practice is good for the entire family. Every night at 
dinnertime, whether you eat at the table or in the living room, have everyone say one 
thing they are grateful for that day. It can be something small, but giving them the 
opportunity to think about their day and something they appreciate is a really good habit 
to start.

Simple acts of service - Another way for your kids to practice more gratitude is with 
acts of service. You can teach your kids that a way to show how much they appreciate 
the blessings in their own life is by helping others and giving other people something to 
be grateful for. This can be something as simple as helping an elderly neighbor bring 
their groceries inside, volunteering for something at school, or helping their younger 
sibling with homework.


