Fun Gratitude Activities to Capture Moments That Make You Grateful

Gratitude is a learned behavior and feeling. So it is important to teach our kids how to be grateful for things and moments in their lives. You might be surprised to learn that studies have shown that grateful people experience:

• Better physical health
• Better psychological health
• Better sleep
• Higher self-esteem
• More empathy
• Less aggression
• Opportunities for more relationships

That is why we wanted to find ways to connect with our daughters in fun ways while finding the good in all days!  

Research shows that by doing something consistently for 21 days can help us develop a new habit, so we challenge you to take our 21-Day Gratitude Challenge using these fun ideas below!

Here are 6 easy and fun ways to capture moments that can make you see the good and build gratitude every day!

1)  Collect Grateful Memories with a Gratitude Box

You can create a gratitude box from items you already have in your home.  There is no need to purchase anything for this project.  

You might choose to use a box or jar and decorate it with positive quotes and stickers.  For example, we cut the lid off our STRONG self(ie) Spring box.  Next, we decorated it with  confidence cards and stickers to create the perfect gratitude box for our girls.

Be sure to keep a notepad or journal and fun pens close by so everything you need for this activity will be easily within reach.

Each day before bed, take a moment to reconnect with your daughter and write down the moments of gratitude you found throughout the day. Place these notes in the box. It will surprise you how quickly it fills up!

Then, if her confidence dips or she’s had a hard day, you can pull out the gratitude box and chase the blues away by reading all the moments she’s grateful for in her life.

2) Create a Positivity Pin Board

A pin board, cork board or magnet board are all great places to post positive affirmations, fun photos, and our STRONG self(ie) gratitude card downloadable.  The STRONG self(ie) downloadable has tons of ideas for practicing gratitude in all moments in their lives.

The girls can use these boards to post fun photos, positive quotes, gratitude letters, and all things positive in their rooms.  This will remind her that no matter what is happening in the present moment, positive words and happy memories bring more balance to life.

3) Add Confidence Cards or Gratitude Prompts to Picture Frames

Filling picture frames with gratitude prompts from the STRONG self(ie) downloadable, positive quotes, and affirmations is another fun idea that promotes positive emotions and encourages our girls to find satisfaction with life.  Our rotating picture frame is perfect for a picture on one side and confidence card or gratitude prompt on the other!

4) Leave Positive Messages and Conversation Starters with Chalk Markers

This is a super easy and fun way to connect with your girl by writing positive messages and conversation starters on her mirrors and windows!  

Write messages like, "You are my happy thought! Tell me what made you happy today." on her bathroom mirror.  Then leave the chalk markers there for her to respond.  Guaranteed connection on this one!

5) Make a Gratitude Photo Collage

If your girl enjoys photography, she can use Canva (a free graphic design platform) to upload her own photos and create a collage of photos of people, places, and moments that bring her joy.

For a fee, Canva will even print your designs and ship them to you. So she can create her own custom poster to hang on her wall and Canva will print and ship it to her! Or she can download her creation for free and print it herself.

Then, you can use her poster as a conversation starter by talking about the photos she chose and the meaning they have for her.

6) Create Custom Gratitude Cards to Brighten Someone Else’s Day

She can also use Canva to create personalized greeting cards to say “Thank You” or show she cares for someone else who needs a little encouragement.

Brightening someone else’s day is sure to make her feel good. And it provides a great opportunity for you to learn more about the person she’s encouraging and why she chose that person in particular.

We hope you enjoy these fun activities and join us in our STRONG self(ie) 21-Day Gratitude Challenge. We’d love for you to share which activities you found the most fun! If you share them on social media, be sure to use the hashtag #strongselfie so we’re sure to see them.

As an added bonus, we created a STRONG self(ie) YouTube video with more ideas to help you cultivate gratitude with your girl!