November-Gratitude

Core Bobcat Value: Gratitude 

"Thanksgiving isn’t the only time we should express gratitude and thankfulness—it’s vital to show and practice thankfulness in our day-to-day lives. As parents, teachers, caregivers, and other professionals who work with children and students, it’s critical to teach children the value of gratitude from a young age.

• “Gratitude” Definition for Kids – appreciating the person or thing that did something good for you or made you feel happy.
• “Thankful” Definition for Kids – wanting to thank the person or thing that did something good for you or made you feel happy.

A child who is raised knowing how to feel and express gratitude usually grows up to be a well-rounded individual, with a greater level of mindfulness, self-efficacy, and interpersonal skills. In fact, the benefits of practicing gratitude and being thankful are scientifically proven." (Children's Bureau, https://www.all4kids.org/)

Discussing Gratitude 

Once your child remembers to say “thank you” on a regular basis, it can be time to dig a little deeper to ensure that they aren’t just going through the socially-prescribed motions of saying “Thank you.” Start having conversations about what it means to be thankful, and take their understanding of gratitude to a whole new level by incorporating more gratitude components. (https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-teach-children-gratitude-4782154)

Questions to discuss as a family

• Notice – What do you have in your life to be grateful for? Are there things to be grateful for beyond the actual gifts someone has given you? Are you grateful for any people in your life?

• Think – What do you think about this present/thing someone has done? Do you think you should give something to/do something for the person who gave it to you? Do you think you earned the gift/favor? Do you think the person gave you a gift/favor because they thought they had to or because they wanted to?

• Feel – Does it make you feel happy to get this gift/have someone do something for you? What does it feel like inside? What about this makes you feel happy?

• Do – Is there a way to show how you feel about this gift/good deed? Does the feeling you have about this make you want to share this feeling by giving to someone else?

Take Action! 

Instill gratitude through local service projects like The Sandwich Project

The Sandwich Project (TSP) is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization whose volunteers assemble and donate fresh, homemade sandwiches each week for immediate consumption to meet the food scarcity needs in Metro Atlanta.

Click the image to learn more.