Teaching Gratitude To A Child
Teaching gratitude to a child is much more than getting used to saying gratitude in the right situation. Teaching gratitude to a child so that he internalizes it properly is something completely different. Gratitude transcends good manners: it is a mentality, a trait, and a way of life.
Gratitude is thus a value that every child should develop in order to recognize what others are doing for him or her. Gratitude is an important personal attribute that is saturated with other tendencies, such as generosity and kindness. A grateful child is less selfish and has an attitude that will eventually make him or her happier and will put him or her in a better position in social interaction.
How to teach a child to be grateful
Hundreds of studies agree that in exercising gratitude, among other things:
- We are exposed to positive emotions.
- We reduce the risk of depression.
- We increase the pleasure of relationships.
- We increase our capacity to recover in the face of stressful life situations.
So there is no doubt that teaching gratitude to a child would be a great gift both to the child himself as well as to the people around them. Here are a few strategies we can use to teach our children to be grateful.
1. Show an example
Parents and other adults around the child are the child’s first role model. If a child sees his or her parents behaving generously and enjoying and appreciating the good things that happen to them, no matter how small, the child also wants to follow the example set by their parents.
If, on the contrary, the child sees that his or her parents and other adults are constantly protesting about everything, behaving in a rude and unfriendly way, and they are never happy with anything, it is also very difficult for the child to understand what it means to be and feel grateful.
2. Help the child understand that others also have their own needs
It is normal for young children to be selfish and self-centered, making it difficult for him to explain that the world is big and not just working to satisfy his own desires. Biologically, the opportunity to get rid of these thought patterns and attitudes is normally obtained over time; accordingly, however, we can assist in this process.
The child must be helped to see that we all have our own desires and that in many cases these desires are in some way either opposite or little compatible. Thus, the inability to satisfy them can cause a lot of frustration, shifting the focus away from what we already have and making the world one where we just lack everything.
3. Teach the child to share
A child who learns to share learns in the same way to appreciate what he has; both in objects and comforts and in people he can trust. Sharing means learning to be considerate of others while broadening the horizons of the world.
4. Emphasize the meaning of the word thank you
In teaching a child to be grateful, we want to bring up the idea that praise should not be just something mechanical that a child must learn to repeat every time he or she gets something; and even if at first it was a mere word to him, the child must at the same time learn its true meaning. Thanking and repeating the word thank you will gradually help the child understand why he or she really feels grateful.
5. Thank the child when he is doing something right
When a child does something right, parents should also thank him or her; in other words, parents show gratitude just as they expect a child to show gratitude to others. It is part of the example we must strive to provide for our offspring.
In this way, the child realizes that he or she is important and that there are also simple things that please others and make them happy. At the same time, the child also wants to find out what those little and simple things are in other people.
6. Talk to the child about the things you are grateful for
It is good to ask the child to express why he or she feels grateful. This should be done without reprimand or reproach because the child does not value something. In this way, parents get to know the child better to find the points in the child that should be strengthened to strengthen gratitude.
Adults should also explain to the child the things they feel grateful for. In this way, the child can broaden his or her view of the world and allow for a dialogue that will help him or her appreciate the good things he or she already has in his or her life.
It is important to be grateful
As we have seen, teaching gratitude to a child has many benefits. The only problem is that gratitude doesn’t always come out naturally.
The negative aspects of our lives, such as disappointment, resentment, and fear, sometimes distract us from the things that are positive. This in turn results in gratitude not being accepted as part of one’s personality traits. Admittedly, Robert Emmons, an American psychologist, professor, and well-known academic expert in gratitude, has argued that intentionally developing a grateful perspective helps us improve our level of satisfaction with our lives.
Along the way, in teaching gratitude to the child, we will find that many of these good things are “gifts” we have been fortunate to receive. By making gratitude a habit, we can change the emotional tone of our lives and thus create more space for joy and connection with other people.
