Okay my sweet friends, today I am going to share with you something that I know you have heard about before. But I really, really want to encourage you to read this post because it is a game changer. Especially right now.
Over the last few days I have been sharing with you different ways to nurture the emotional health of our children. I have shared with you the importance of a strong rhythm, ways we can ensure our children still feel like free souls, and today I am going to share with you how gratitude can change everything.
It was about a year ago when I started my first gratitude journal. The use of the word journal is a bit misleading, as I truly only wrote one page. A single gratitude page – and it changed everything.
I had heard all about the idea of expressing gratitude and writing it down and how that simple act will completely transform things for you. I had heard it a lot – enough times that I finally thought I would give it a try.
I got a lovely journal (because, you know, if I was going to do it, I might as well do it right!) and wrote down the names of my children and my husband. I then went through each name and wrote three things I was grateful for about each person.
Game changer!
I was almost in tears by the end of that page! I was surrounded by such amazing people. I get to spend my days surrounded by these wonderful human beings. I am truly blessed – and as I saw it written out on paper before me, there was absolutely no denying it.
It put me in such a pleasant mood and state of mind that I only used my gratitude ‘journal’ that one time. Until recently …
I decided I would pick back up the practice (practice – as if I am an expert having done it once) last month. I decided I would write in my journal each night before going to bed. It was lovely. I would simply journal things that I was grateful for that happened that day.
I then thought since this was helping me so much, it would be lovely for my children to try it as well. Instead of me suggesting they start, I thought I would try a round about way of getting them interested. I moved my journal writing to breakfast time. I started to journal at the breakfast table, answering questions about what I was doing and sharing my gratitude with my children. I also shared with them some of the many reasons I am grateful for each of them.
It wasn’t long before paper and pens were joining us at breakfast and little gratitude lists and pictures were being made. Voila!
I decided to get some lovely gratitude journals for my children – no strings attached, no need to write if they did not want to, just a safe place to journal their grateful little hearts out should they want to. I know first hand that sometimes one gratitude list is all you need.
I have seen a few other lovely ideas for ways families can share gratitude together:
- Have a family chalkboard full of gratitude
- Write thankful notes on pieces of paper and pop them in a jar, when the jar is full read them all
- Pop little hearts on each others bedroom doors sharing things loved about each other
- Write notes of gratitude on a pumpkin for fall!
- Tie in nature and try out these gratitude cards:
There are truly so many ways to share gratitude as a family. And it truly makes such a huge difference. When we are constantly confronted with all of the beauty and good in our lives, we simply feel happier.
Helping our little ones learn to express gratitude is a wonderful, life-long way to nurture their emotional health.
I hope that you have found these 3 suggestions helpful! Thank you so much for reading along. And please do check out my sponsor, Oak Meadow.
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