Three Gratitude Lessons

As adults we often tell kids to say thank you but often don’t teach them why it’s important. Here are three lessons that can help. 1. Practicing gratitude for everyday things can improve our mental, physical and emotional health, build relationships and connection, and it can also reduce stress and pain. This acronym helps kids to identify and appreciate things they may take for granted. 2. As humans we have a negativity bias- we pay more attention to negative things because these things can hurt us. We also focus a lot on things we don’t have that we want. When this happens, we become unbalanced and can feel angry, anxious, overwhelmed. But practicing gratitude for what we do have helps us find balance. 3. It’s easy to give thanks for the light, the sun, the victories, compliments that make us bloom and grow tall. But our mistakes, pain, losses and dark times can help our roots grow deep and strong. They can make us more resilient. Lessons like these can teach kids the reasons why it’s important to give thanks.