3 Reasons to Encourage Gratitude in Your Kids

Gratitude is something we're better off cultivating every day of the year. Teaching our kids to do the same is a wise parenting practice, for a number of reasons. It goes way deeper than just having good manners. Having gratitude provides some built-in benefits, three of which we'll share below.

3 Reasons to Encourage Gratitude in Your Kids:

1. They'll Feel Better.  Gratitude has been shown to have both immediate and long-term effects on positive psychological functioning. (Froh, Sefick, & Emmons, 2008) 

2. They'll Be Less Greedy. People with gratitude tended to be less tied to materialism. (Lambert, Fincham, Stillman, & Dean, 2009)

3. They'll Be Happier.  Gratitude was associated with happiness among older children. It behooves parents to help their children develop this character strength. (Park & Peterson, 2006)

Teach Your Children Well

We know that telling kids to be grateful has much less of an impact than actually showing them. We need to demonstrate it, encourage it and intentionally teach it.

If you're looking for a way to drive home lessons about being thankful with your kids, we think you'll love these resources:

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In closing, may I just tell you how thankful I am for all of YOU? Indeed, it is true. We have the kindest community on the planet...and it warms my heart knowing how hard you all work to raise and edcuate compassionate, kind, altruistic children and teens!

What are you thankful for?

Bibliography:

Froh, J. J., Sefick, W. J., & Emmons, R. A. (2008). Counting blessings in early adolescents: An experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. Journal of School Psychology, 46(2), 213–233. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2007.03.005

Lambert, N. M., Fincham, F. D., Stillman, T. F., & Dean, L. R. (2009). More gratitude, less materialism: The mediating role of life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(1), 32–42. doi:10.1080/17439760802216311

Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2006). Character strengths and happiness among young children: Content analysis of parental descriptions. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7(3), 323–341. doi:10.1007/s10902-005-3648-6