“Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in our soul. ” Amy Collete

In this materialistic world in which our children are growing, it is very easy for them to forget to empathize with or be thankful to others. Teachers and parents should always help them understand how to be thankful as well as kind to others. Showing gratitude is the only way to show our happiness to others. It’s a soul-to-soul connection where both people feel the goodness of giving and receiving recognition. Not only this, we should always be happy with what we have and be thankful for it.

Being a mother, I always want to teach gratitude to my kids, but sometimes the journey seems to be difficult as well. Although it’s not easy, we should keep instilling values in our kids. Below are some tips which can help us all teach gratitude to our kids.

Doing good to others.

The only thing that can give us real happiness is when we can make others happy. I want my son to learn this concept. As he is growing now, he understands that if he has money in his piggy bank, he can buy something of his choice. So, he asks for some pocket money every day, either from his father or me. I wanted him to earn that pocket money, so I asked him to help us in some way daily in our activities and earn his pocket money. I know he will definitely understand the value of earning something when he grows up. I was really surprised when one day he bought ice cream using his pocket money, not only for him but also for me and our pet dog. Sometimes kids can teach us so many things. I understood one thing, that he is not selfish. He knows that his pet too loves eating ice cream, so he bought one for him also. He never thought that he had a little money and it can get over.

Be generous to share.

Children are so attached to their belongings that they would not love to get another hand on them. Being generous is another value that we can teach our kids. Sharing things with others is always a way to show love and gratitude to others. Let them know that they can not enjoy anything alone; there needs to be somebody who can also enjoy it with him or her. When we share, our happiness is doubled.

Being grateful

Well, it is very easy to forget what others have done for us, especially when we forget all the pains taken by our parents to bring us up. Have we ever said thank you and I love you to them? Most of us have not. Let our children not miss this chance. Help them understand that when somebody does good to us, we should be grateful to them.

Listing out the good things

Every day, we see nothing but wrong in others and negativity everywhere. But it is really difficult to figure out one positivity in between all the negative energies. Let that one thing be big and well known as well. Ask your child to list out all the good things that happened to them in a single day. Let them write about these positive energies every day and be thankful for that.

If a child shows gratitude to others, it means he can be the strongest of all when he grows up.