How to Build Genuine Gratitude in Your Kids

November is here, and the holiday season is in full swing. It is easy during this time to slip into autopilot parenting between school activities, holidays, family visits, travel, and, for some military families, navigating it all with a deployed spouse or loved one.

Building genuine gratitude in our kids can turn this season’s focus on thankfulness into a lifelong family practice, however.

Modeling Everyday Thankfulness

One of the most impactful ways to build gratitude is to model it in our everyday lives. When children see us practicing gratitude, even when things don’t go as planned, they learn that gratitude isn’t reserved for holidays, special occasions, or good days. It is something we can practice year-round.

We can be grateful for rainy days that help our flowers grow, traffic that gives us extra time together in the car, sunny days spent outside, or cold days that give us an excuse to stay inside and snuggle.

Gratitude Alongside Difficult Feelings

For military families, gratitude can also coexist with missing someone. We can acknowledge that we wish a loved one were home while still finding something meaningful to appreciate about the day.

This teaches children that gratitude doesn’t mean ignoring difficult feelings. Both can exist at the same time.

Inviting Kids Into the Practice

Instead of simply reminding our children to “be grateful,” invite them into your own practice. At dinner, in the car, or before bed, share something you appreciated that day and ask them to share their own bit of gratitude. Over time, gratitude becomes less of an expectation and more of a way of seeing the world.