3 Simple Ways to Help Kids Develop An Attitude of Gratitude

New year, fresh start, better attitude… it's what we are all hoping for coming off 2020.  But just like everything else in life, nothing changes unless you make different choices and take action!  

As we started working on the spring 2021 box back in the fall of 2020 we were surrounded by negativity... in the news… in our communities… in our own families.  Everyone was stressed with life, the pandemic, the upcoming election, e-learning.... the list goes on and on.  We saw and felt it in our own homes and with our own kids. 

I recently read a book by Dan Sullivan called The Gap and The Gain that is filled with tips and inspiration for entrepreneurs.  I took a lot away from the book for my business but I took even more away for life.  

The author explains that the 'gap' is where most people live.  It is the complaining.  The what we don't have.  The what we didn't get.  We are all guilty of it!  The good news is we can CHOOSE to get out of the gap and move our mindset to the gain.  

People who live in the gain are happier, more optimistic and feel better about their lives according to Harvard Medical School.  Living in the gain is choosing to SEE THE GOOD and developing an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE. Now that's a STRONG self(ie) and that is why we choose SEE THE GOOD for our Spring 2021 box!

Now it is 2021 and we are STILL living in a pandemic....still e-learning....still stressed!  But none of that matters because we get to CHOOSE how we see the good today and everyday.  Easy for us adults (maybe!) but probably not for our kids who are screen timed out, bored and tired of everything being cancelled then rescheduled and cancelled again.  So here are 3 simple things you can do with your kids to help them SEE THE GOOD... today and everyday!

3 Simple Ways to Help Your Kids Develop An Attitude of Gratitude

1) BE THE EXAMPLE - yep, this one's on us parents!  It's not gonna be easy but try to see the good in situations that would normally irritate you and point out the positives to your kids.  Maybe Starbucks forgot the extra caramel on your drink…. Instead of being upset, enjoy the coffee and be grateful for a quiet moment… tomorrow is another day for them to get it right! 

Finding it difficult to see the good? Enlist the help of your kids and make a game out of it… the person who comes up with the most or best things to be grateful for in the situation wins!

2) WRITE IT DOWN - there are gratitude journals you can buy for your daughter but sometimes it is as simple as writing it down on a sticky note or scrap of paper and putting them in a jar.  Just like goal setting when a person writes out their goal they are 93% more likely to achieve it. The same goes for gratitude.  

What I have found with my kids is they find it hard to come up with moments and things to write about.  So STRONG self(ie) offers downloadable gratitude prompts to help them.  These are simple things they probably don't think about on a daily basis but are everywhere around us that we can be grateful for.  

Download the gratitude prompts and join the challenge of 21 days of SEEING THE GOOD.  Talk out loud....write it down...be the example!  I promise you if you do this with your family you will see a change in behavior!  By being intentional about talking about and writing down things we are grateful for we cause a shift in our mindset and turn this challenge into a habit!

3) SHARE THE GOOD - When was the last time your child did something nice for someone else?  Without being asked!?!  My kids don't....they just don't think about it.  It doesn't mean they aren't nice kids but they just think of themselves mostly.  As part of our SEE THE GOOD challenge we hope you incorporate showing gratitude to friends and neighbors.  Holding the door for a stranger or waving to a neighbor....all simple, all free....all build an attitude of gratitude!

Be sure to join our 21-Day SEE THE GOOD Challenge for a fun way to jump start a new "Attitude of Gratitude" habit!

And, for more tips on raising grateful kids check out this article from Child Mind Institute.