How to Teach Gratitude to Students - Colourful Teaching For You

Today we’re going to talk about a how to teach gratitude to students.

Gratitude empowers people to be the best versions of themselves. It allows us to stay present in the moment instead of dwelling on the past.

Another way to empower yourself, is to snag your FREE spot in my upcoming hands-on Masterclass to help you go from feeling overwhelmed to super passionate.

I’ve had a rocky past but the lessons I’ve learned have helped shape me into who I am today. It’s what brings me here week after week, even when I’m sick, like I was last week.

A moment of truth: I don’t always live in a place of gratitude. It’s just not possible. However, I do my best and I try to teach this to my students as well.

When we live in a space of gratitude, we live in abundance. We see the good that is in our lives. When negativity tries to dim our light, we know that there’s an important lesson there for us and we can say thank you for that instead.

Here’s an example, the day after I gave birth, I was overcome with grief to an extent that I couldn’t understand what was wrong with me. I should have been overcome with joy because my baby was beautiful and healthy, and my labour was relatively short. I was going through postpartum anxiety. My husband, sister, mother and sister-in-law had to pick up the pieces so that I could get well. I was still present in my son’s life so much so, that he had no idea that anything was wrong, but my family was there when I needed them the most and for that I’ll always be grateful.

Now I could dwell on the fact that I struggled, or I could do one of the things that got me through it- staying in place of gratitude, knowing that my son was well cared for and loved by his family. Till today, this is always on my gratitude list.

I hope you see how important gratitude is to not only our children, but for ourselves as well. Here are my four strategies to help you teach (and practice) the art of gratitude.

Actionable Steps:

#1. Practice with Games

Games are a sure way to get children learning concepts fast. Here are two games you can play with little to no prep.

  1. “Breaking News”- Either make or purchase some expensive microphones.. Break your children up into small groups and have them talk about different things that they are grateful for. Then, a spokesperson from each group will act as a news anchor and will relay this message to the rest of the class. Have the bring in props and be creative.

    This activity can also be done at home by grouping up your family members.

  2. “The Thankful Tree”- decorate your Christmas tree with lights and ornaments but instead of putting a garland around it, create one with all of the things that your children are grateful for. Not only have you personalized this tree, but you’ve made it more meaningful.

Both of these activities can be used as a part of your language arts, art and health lesson.

#2. Reflect on It

I am a big believer on engaging in reflective practices with your class. When children reflect on all of the blessings in their lives, they’ll naturally start to see more around them.

To make this easy for you, I’ve created different ways that you can teach your children about the process of reflecting on their blessings.

#3. Model It

You and I both know that children learn from those who do more so than from those who preach. So don’t just teach steps one and two to them. Do it with them. Be in a group with them for the “Breaking News” game and add your own notes to “The Thankful Tree” garland. Do the reflections with your children. While I have an adult version, you can very easily use the one for any of the different age groups. Show them that you’re doing it with them.

The beauty of it is that you’ll reap the benefits of garnering a positive mindset when you start to take notice of all of the beauty in your life as well.

#4. Perform Acts of Kindness

This is important because it takes your learning out into the real world. When we are in a space of gratitude, we naturally want to be kind to others thereby increasing the number of blessings that enter into our lives.

For example, when your class or family fundraises for another organization, it’s a way of saying, “thank you for everything that I have in my life. I’d now like to give back to those who most need my support.” You are teaching your children to have a heart of giving and not just receiving.

Recap:

1. We looked at the importance of practicing gratitude.

2. We talked about four ways to practice gratitude within your classroom or at home: practice with games, reflect on it, model it, perform acts of kindness.

Additional Thoughts:

These are my four strategies on how to teach children about gratitude. Why one of these do you plan to try?

If you’d like additional resources for your classroom here are the three ways you can access them: 1) Free Resource Library; 2) At my store; or 3) Systematic Plan to Super Passionate.

Systematic Plan to Super Passionate

Next Steps:

If you found this video beneficial, would you do me a favour? Share this with your family, your friends, your loved ones, your co-workers or someone who you think could benefit from this. Thank you!

I’ll see you next Friday at 5:30pm PST.

Until I see you next time, remember to create, experience & teach from the heart.

Take care,

Charlotte

How to Teach Gratitude to Students
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