Cultivating Daily Gratitude into our Family Lifestyle
Hello Mañana Friends!
As we shift out of Thanksgiving and into December, let's carry the spirit of gratitude forward, not just as a one-day celebration but as an integral part of our daily lives. Cultivating gratitude within the family is a transformative practice that fosters positivity and strengthens bonds. This month we’re exploring practical tools and ideas to incorporate gratitude into the daily rituals of parents and children of all ages.
Research shows us that engaging in a daily gratitude practice is linked to cognitive and psychological benefits. It can improve your mood, increase your feelings of social connection, and enhance your overall life satisfaction. By regularly acknowledging and appreciating positive experiences, you can start to develop a habit of noticing and valuing the good in your life, contributing to a more positive outlook over time. And who doesn’t want that?
By exemplifying this practice for our children, we foster positive emotions, enhance their social skills, help them develop empathy, a sense of interconnectedness, and an appreciation for the positive aspects of their lives. This foundation can contribute to emotional resilience and a more optimistic outlook as they grow. It’s most beneficial to create a consistent practice of this, ingraining this into your lifestyle.
Here are some practical ways for you to incorporate gratitude into your family.
1. Gratitude Journals for Parents and children:
Parents often lead by example, and keeping a gratitude journal can be a powerful way to model the practice. Dedicate a few minutes each day to reflect on things you are thankful for. This can range from small joys to significant achievements. The act of writing reinforces the positive impact of gratitude.
*There are endless options available in bookstores, online and on Amazon if you’re looking for a journal. Also, my Finding Mañana Gratitude journal will be available on Amazon soon!
2. Family Gratitude Circle:
Establish a daily or weekly routine where family members gather to share what you are grateful for. This creates an open space for communication and helps your children understand that gratitude is a shared experience. Tailor discussions to age-appropriate topics, ensuring that everyone feels included.
3. Gratitude Jar for Young Children (Ages 3-7):
Create a colorful "Gratitude Jar" and encourage your young children to draw or write something they are thankful for each day. This visual representation not only engages their creativity but also serves as a tangible reminder of the positive aspects in their lives. It’s amazing the impact seeing a colorful, full jar has on children when a problem or disappointment arises. It’s a tangible comparison of how many positives we still have as we face this new challenge.
4. Gratitude Collage for Preteens (Ages 8-12):
You can guide your tween/preteen in creating a gratitude collage. Provide magazines, scissors, and glue, allowing them to cut out images or words that represent what they are grateful for. This hands-on activity helps them express their gratitude in a fun and artistic manner. It’s also a great bonding activity for you to do with them, creating your own gratitude collage. Displaying them somewhere where you’ll see them daily is a great reminder: bathroom mirror, refrigerator, kitchen wall…
5. Daily Gratitude Reflections for Teens (Ages 13-18):
Introduce teens to a daily reflection practice where they jot down three things they are thankful for and why. This encourages introspection and mindfulness. Additionally, although tech balance is a major focus for me, if your teen uses tech, you have the option of incorporating a gratitude app that provide prompts and reminders. I still prefer a good journal, but that’s me.
6. Gratitude Challenges for the Whole Family:
Make gratitude a shared adventure by creating challenges or games. For instance, challenge your family members to find something positive in even the most challenging situations. This fosters a mindset of resilience and optimism, reinforcing the idea that there is always something to be grateful for. Sometimes if we’re feeling down, we challenge each other with 1 negative, 2 positives. We can blurt out all the negatives we want, but we must find 2 positives to every negative. They often end up becoming silly which breaks the tension and lightens the mood.
7. Showing Gratitude to Others:
Personal gratitude is wonderful, but there is a second component of gratitude less discussed…showing gratitude to others. The art of writing letters is fading, but I encourage you to help bring it back. My mentor recently posted a picture of a stack of beautifully, hand-crafted thank you cards he purchased on Etsy (plug for supporting small business!) as this is his current way of moving his gratitude outwards. I don’t know the last time you received an actual card or letter in the mail, but if you have, you know it feels so much better than a text message. If your children are little, a hand-drawn or colored note means the world to the person receiving it. Let’s not keep our gratitude to ourselves. Let’s recognize and share with others how they are positively impacting us and our families and exemplify the importance of this with our children.
There are so many more ways to incorporate gratitude into your daily lives, but this is just a blog, not a novel, so I’ll save some for later! Together, let’s embrace gratitude not as a fleeting sentiment but as a daily ritual woven into the fabric of our family lives. By tailoring these practices and more to the specific needs and interests of children in an age-appropriate way, meeting them where they’re at, but leading by example, we can instill a lasting appreciation for the positive aspects of our lives, fostering a culture of gratitude that transcends seasons.
Thank you for being here! Here’s to our Mañana journey!
~Leanna