Consciously Appreciating Everything We Have: THE POWER OF GRATITUDE

It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and forget all that we have, all that we can do, and experiences that make us happy. We can just motor through our days without feeling very connected when we don’t take some time to appreciate what we have, who helps us, and how we contribute to the world.

Being thankful can be hard if you don’t consciously make time for it!

Children learn through mimicking our routines and practicing our behaviors. Starting children early in making gratitude a habit will help them feel happier throughout their lives.

Research has shown that gratitude is truly a superpower! Gratitude can help children have healthier friendships, better academic performance, and even higher grade point averages in school.

Gratitude actually opens us up to being able to receive more, so it only makes sense that gratitude would mean an increase in what we already have. So finding time to appreciate these good things in our lives brings us more of them!

So what can you do to start this habit?

We suggest there are opportunities at least three times throughout the day where you can easily make time to consciously practice gratitude with your children. Find our planner here (NEED LINK)

Our schedules are all so busy, and we know it can feel overwhelming to add anything new to your daily routine.

We have you covered with quick and easy options that can make a big, lasting impact on children without requiring much from you! Simply asking intentional and meaningful questions during certain times of day can create awareness, appreciation, and open dialogues about gratitude. Here are some questions that you can ask your children at different times of the day.

You’re a superhero if you can incorporate this 3 times a day approach to gratitude – but even including one routine, or mixing it up each day with these suggestions, will provide a lasting impact for your child.

Morning Gratitude Routine

• Have children set their intentions for their day. Have your child talk about things that are planned for the day ahead and how they are going to go about making their day a great one.
• Have a conversation with your children about all of the things, people, and powers that they have to be grateful for. Starting the day with this will have everyone involved feeling good and ready to take on the day ahead.
• Make a habit of telling each other why you appreciate the other person. “I love the way you…” “I adore you because…” Try making this a game – maybe try not repeating statements-challenge yourselves to make each unique, or try seeing who can get in their compliment first, or before the bus or breakfast ends – gamify and time it! The more you play, the more creative you have to be, and you will start noticing the little things people do that make you happy!
• All of us have superpowers that make us unique and give us the ability to serve others in the world using our “powers.” Have everyone in the family discuss what unique gifts they have. Showing gratitude for those gifts makes children proud! Ask children how they plan to use their powers that day to help others.

After-School Gratitude Routine

Many of us often ask children about their school day and often get answers like “It was fine” or “I don’t remember what we did today.” Try some of these questions instead to give your child opportunities to reflect on their day in a mindful way that is centered around gratitude.

• What was your favorite part of the day?
• What was your biggest challenge of the day and how did you overcome it?
• How grateful were you to have the ability to face the challenge? What superpower did you use?
• What was the lesson you learned from a frustration today? (It is important to teach children to be grateful for challenges too because overcoming challenges helps us grow.)
• Who was kind to you today and what do you appreciate about that person?
• Who were you kind to today and why?
• Ask them how they used their powers for good to help someone else. (make this specific to those individual superpowers that your child has – this helps them feel seen.)

Bedtime Gratitude Routine

Bedtime is a great time to work in moments of gratitude with children as they are winding down and ending their day. Pick one of the following conversation starters to ask children as they are getting ready for bed. These are fun bedtime story starters as well!

• What were you most grateful for today?
• What was the one gift that you got out of today?
• Who were you most grateful for today? Why?
• How were you able to share your gifts with others today?
• How were you able to use your powers to help someone else or yourself today?
• What was one thing that you saw today that made you smile?
• Were you able to laugh today? Tell me about it
• Tell me about where you want to go in your dreams – what will make you happy?

You can get started practicing these routines with your child today! Pay attention to how the energy shifts with everyone involved during these new routines.

When mindful gratitude is built into our days, it is amazing how much it can transfer to other areas of our lives. Investing in these types of routines will foster a greater awareness and appreciation for each other and the world around us and increase our happiness throughout our lives.

Are you enjoying these special moments with your children centered around gratitude?

Extend these opportunities and allow children to go deeper by downloading LUUA’s very own Gratitude Game! (NEED LINK)