Thanksgiving is a time to gather with those you love, share in a lavish feast, and give thanks for the things we are grateful for in our lives. Talking to your children about Thanksgiving is the perfect time to teach them about gratitude. Gratitude, or being thankful, is not something kids are born with. It’s something taught, learned, and nurtured by their parents.
As parents, we want to raise children who are happy, and learning to be grateful is the key to happiness. You are the primary example, and you can show your children what it means to be grateful. The most efficient way to instill gratitude in your kids is to talk to them and what there is to be thankful for. Here are 5 things you can teach your kids to be thankful for.
1. Freedom
We live in a beautiful country where we are free to express ourselves and be who we want to be. We have a Constitution which guarantees specific, God-given rights, including the rights to free speech, assembly, religion, and the right to bear arms, among many others. America is unique in this way, with rights and freedoms listed in the Constitution of our great country. Thanksgiving is a time when we can teach our children the benefits of our freedoms and talk about the sacrifices made to guarantee them.
2. Family
Your children probably already know the importance of family and their family’s role as a support system in their life. Teach them to be thankful for the endless support, unconditional love, and warm nurturing that family provides throughout one’s entire life. Memories of your family and the time you spend with them are the core of who we are as people, and children should be taught to be thankful and cherish every moment.
3. Opportunity
We live in a country where anyone can become anything, as long as they are willing to put in the effort to achieve it. Teach your children to be thankful for the opportunities they have, to engage in all the many experiences they are lucky to be presented with. Teach them to recognize an opportunity when they see it and take advantage of it every time. Thanksgiving is a good time for children to list the opportunities available to them – opportunities for growth, education, spirituality, and more.
4. Health
We should be thankful for the health of not just ourselves but of our family. Teach your children to define health, and to be thankful for every working part of their body, every healthy organ and functioning muscle and bone. Explain to your children about how some are not as lucky as we are, and they struggle with their health. Encourage your children to be thankful that the ones they love are in good health.
5. Friendship
Friendships are an extension of family. They offer different kinds of support for children in their success and growth throughout life. When they are young, being thankful for their friends is one of the most relatable things we can teach them to show gratitude for. Make a friends list with your children and ask them to explain why they are thankful for each of their friends. Perhaps have the children write a thank you card to a friend, thanking them for their friendship. Showing our children how to show gratitude can help them foster and strengthen their relationships with their friends throughout their lives.
Raising grateful children is the way to give your child a successful leg up in their future. Gratitude helps increase happiness in children and teaches them empathy and gratefulness for all they have. Thanksgiving is a great time to teach your kids to be thankful.
The Founding Fathers is an education platform to help educate our children about the history of our great nation. Sign up to stay up today on our content and get notified when courses in American history are available.
