Sharing your gratitude can be a welcome contrast to the emphasis on gifts that often comes with the holiday season. Studies have shown many benefits to practicing gratitude, such as improved mental health by increasing frequency of emotions of happiness, pride and contentment, and balancing out challenging emotions like anxiety and depression. Expressing gratitude can lead to the way for hopeful possibilities, decisions, and actions. Practicing gratitude can benefit physical health as well, by engaging the part of your nervous system that helps you feel more relaxed. Expressing gratitude can bring people closer together and strengthen family relationships. 
Fortunately, gratitude is a practice that can be cultivated in children. Here are several ways you can foster gratitude in children:
- Be a good example. Look for ways to demonstrate generosity and thankfulness. Offer a sincere thank you to a check-out clerk or someone who holds open the door for you. Include your children or grandchildren… tell them specifically why you are grateful for them and for the things they do, like putting away their shoes.
- Point out examples of generosity. Help children notice when others go the extra mile to be helpful. When we focus on the good, we are more thankful.
- Talk about those less fortunate. When children hear about others that don’t have as much, they learn to be more thankful for what they have. This might be an enjoyable time to teach them how to give back through charitable organizations.
- Build on a child’s strengths. Help children use their interests to show gratitude. If they are good at drawing, they could make a card for someone. If they like to bake, they could make something for a neighbor or community bake sale.
- Make gratitude part of your rituals. You can practice gratitude at bedtime or mealtime by asking a child to think of three good things every day.
However, you choose to foster gratitude, be consistent. Children learn by example. Practicing gratitude can bring families of all types together, build children’s sense of purpose, and improve mental and physical health for all involved.
“Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices.”
– Robert Braathe
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
– from Winnie-the-Pooh (A.A. Milne)
Call to action: Consider ways you can teach gratitude by example. After showing appreciation to someone, discuss with the children in your life how you think that made the other person feel. Ask what ways they can show their gratitude to others.
Source: OSU Extension Family Consumer Science Gather Your Gratitude Challenge
Source: Shannon Carter, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Fairfield County, carter.413@osu.edu