Health Benefits of Teaching Children an Attitude of Gratitude

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As we reflect on this season of Thanksgiving, it is more than just merely a season of gratitude. According to John Hopkin’s Medicine, teaching and incorporating an attitude of gratitude in children can have far reaching health benefits.

Children and families that practice gratitude as part of their daily life and routine report decreased stress, less anxiety, lower rates of depression, better sleep, and a more optimistic outlook.

Given the rapidly rising mental health crises and escalating chronic disease rates in children, learning and practicing an attitude of gratitude at a young age has the opportunity to provide lifelong health benefits.

How do we as parents teach our children an attitude of gratitude? It starts with us! A daily mindfulness of the blessings and provisions we often take for granted.

The following are ideas that can be used with children and include:

• The simple art of teaching little ones to say “thank you” and show kindness and appreciation to others🗣️
• Taking a walk in nature and being thankful for their surroundings and what they see, touch, hear, and smell 🌳
• Pausing before each meal to express gratitude for food 🍛
• Counting on 10 fingers and naming one thing to be thankful for on each finger🙌
• Learning to write thank you notes 📝 
• Listing something to be thankful for on a chalkboard or whiteboard👩‍🏫
• Keeping a thankfulness journal📔 

In our home the weeks prior to Thanksgiving we have a thankfulness basket or thankful jar with small pieces of paper. Each member of the family records individual things (one item listed per paper) they are grateful for over the past year. On Thanksgiving Eve, we gather as a family and take turns, drawing the slips of paper from the basket, and reading what has been listed on them. We close the evening with a prayer of gratitude for the blessings we have experienced the past year.
May your family experience the blessings of an attitude of gratitude, not only during the upcoming Thanksgiving season, but all year long!

🍁Happy Thanksgiving from Wellness 4 KIDS. 
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​Are you interested in building your child's health and wellness through holistic care? Contact Wellness 4 KIDS for a FREE Pediatric Wellness Discovery Call.