Gratitude - acknowledging the goodness in our lives.

As we come to the end of our first term and prepare for Easter with our families, it is important that we take  time out of the busy schedule to reflect on the aspects of our lives that we are grateful for.  After weeks of devastating floods in Queensland and New South Wales , plus the violence in Ukraine, being thankful for the small moments, that sometimes can be seen as mundane, is such an important practice to hold onto in this fast-paced, sometimes negative focused, world we live in.

Most of us associate gratitude with saying “thank you” to someone who has helped us or given us a gift. From a scientific perspective, gratitude is not just an action. Gratitude is a positive emotion, which is really important because it  helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals – whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.

Research shows that when children exhibit gratitude, it's the behavior that most closely correlates with life satisfaction and happiness for that child. It's also linked to less stress and depression and more optimism.  Gratitude is also a powerful tool for strengthening interpersonal relationships. 

In order to practice gratitude, the first step is to pay attention - noticing and becoming aware of blessings that we normally take for granted.

Here are some tips to further develop gratitude in your children.

1. Role model gratitude and teach your kids to think gratefully.

Express gratitude often--by speaking it, writing it, gifting it.

2. Be present and empathetic with your child.

Spending time with your children is, of course, good. Spending time when you're fully present, enjoying each moment, and ready to express empathy and understanding is priceless.

3. Nurture their strengths.

Doing so builds confidence. Confidence builds self-appreciation, which makes it easier to see and appreciate things around you (as you're not busy combating feelings of inadequacy). You can even encourage your children to directly use strengths (like writing, speaking well, being kind-hearted) to show gratitude.

4. Encourage them to accumulate growth, not gadgets.

When you encourage a child to focus on developing deeper connections with people or the community and on pursuing experiences that excite their interest and help them achieve growth, it's much more likely to foster gratitude.

5. Give them a hand in lending helping hands.

Encourage your child to look for opportunities to help others, again role modeling it yourself as a closely held value. This is one of the most direct routes possible towards encouraging gratitude.

6. Help them find what matters to them.

When kids find something that's important to them, something bigger than themselves, (like a social issue, cause, or form of service), they realise they're a player in something more important. Gratitude comes from an appreciation of that larger picture and what they can do to affect it.

Paul Anderson

Student Wellbeing Leader