LANSING, Mich, (WLNS) – It’s Parenting Connection Tuesday and 6 News is here for you with tips, strategies, and helpful reminders from local child development experts on how we can be better parents and guardians.
Today’s topic: 6 ways to teach kids how to be thankful.
It’s Thanksgiving time — a holiday that incorporates expressing gratitude with friends and family. During the feast, many families voice how thankful they are, but some parents may not know how to teach their kids the important quality of gratitude — and child development experts say, now is the perfect time.
Experts say, that recognizing and then expressing gratitude to someone who has done something special for you is not a natural behavior for a kid to know – it’s self-acquired, so it takes assistance from mom and dad. Here are 6 ways to teach them how to show it:
*Teach your kids to say thank you to the people who do nice things for them
*Tell and describe the things you are grateful for to your kids, so they can better understand
*Be a great role model for showing gratitude. When your kids see you do it, they will do it as well
*Share your gratitude at bedtime. Experts say, to take five minutes at the end of the day to ask your child what he or she is thankful for that day
*Have your kids volunteer. Experts say, that when you introduce them to helping others who are less fortunate, it helps them to feel thankful for what they have
*Be consistent with teaching gratitude. Like all life skills, it takes more than just once or twice for it to stick
Here’s something to be thankful for… Child development experts say, that teaching children how to have and express gratitude makes them more optimistic, less depressed and stressed, and much more pleasant to be around.
