Teaching Your Kids to Be Grateful

Gratitude is something that children have to learn; it doesn’t come naturally. Thankful children are able to recognise and appreciate the good things that come their way, not matter how small. On the other hand, children who can’t comprehend gratitude don’t always know how lucky they are. An independent day and boarding school in Hertfordshire have the following tips to parents to help you understand how to teach your children to be grateful.

Be a Good Role Model

As with all learned behaviour, parents will need to display gratitude themselves if they want their children to do the same. Essentially, you need to be a good role model and express gratitude around your children as much as possible. Teach them good manners and generosity so that they learn to give as well as take. Explain to them how lucky they are to have food on the table and a roof over their heads and make sure you appreciate this too.

Understanding the Value of Things

Encourage your child to earn things by giving them various responsibilities to fulfil that they can then be rewarded for, like making their bed in the morning or helping with dinner. Essentially, they need to understand that nothing comes for free and what goes around comes around. You should also try and teach them about the value of the things they own as an individual, as well as your family as a whole. This doesn’t necessarily mean they need to know how much everything costs, but also how much effort other people have gone to, to make those things possible. For instance, explain to them how hard you have had to work in order to buy the car that takes them to their sport club etc.

Write ‘Thank You’ Notes

Unfortunately, writing thank you notes after birthdays, Christmas and other special occasions seems to be a dying art. However, it’s a terrific way to teach your children to recognise and be grateful for the things people give them, in terms of both material items and the help and support that’s offered. For instance, thank you notes can also be sent to teachers at the end of a school year, or families who host birthday parties or sleepovers.