Useful (and easily doable) tips on teaching your child gratitude

It’s not only good manners to express your gratitude when receiving something nice but it can also help your child to strengthen their relationships and live a much more fulfilled life. It’s been theorised that exploring empathy in this way can help to improve both physical and mental health in children. A prep school in Hertfordshire shares a few ways that you can explore gratitude with your child.

Writing a handwritten letter

A letter is a good way to express your thoughts and feelings and can help your child to think about what they have to be grateful for. To practise this with your child, you can write a letter together for a special teacher or friend that they are appreciative of.

Show gratitude towards them

Saying thank you and expressing gratitude towards your child for the small things that they do like putting their toys away can teach them to also do the same with others. This can help your child to experience what it’s like to receive gratitude and the warm fuzzy feeling that you get from doing something nice for others.

Gratitude as a mindfulness technique

Gratitude can also be used for mindfulness and pairing it with grounding techniques can help children to reap the full psychological benefits that come with it. One by one, get your child to recall anything nice that they have experienced in their day or anyone that they appreciate. Get them to think about how they make them feel and hold on to the feeling before wishing them well. 

Be the role model that they need

Children pay attention to our every move and subconsciously take a lot of it on board. Showing gratitude to those around you can remind your child to do the same. You can start by thanking them as mentioned before and extend to those that you might typically overlook like the postman or the stranger that opened the door.