Raising Thankful Kids

You've probably noticed.  I can't keep my blog up like I used to.  

I'm in a very full season of life and I don't have to tell you how that is.  You've been through one too, I'm sure.  I get what I can get done each day and the things I can't get to just have to wait.  

I've got a new little motto - {if you will} - People before projects.  

There's a lot of peopleness going on here.  

I promised you a post on raising thankful kids.  We all want thankful children, right?  I know I do.  I not only want to increase gratitude in my own life but I'd like to see that in my children also.  

Here are some simple and fun ways to raise kids who are thankful:

• Have your children write thank you notes (or decorate them if younger). This small act of gratitude goes a long way in helping children to recognize and remember the gift they've been given, and the giver.   

• Make sure your kids are helping out around the house and doing chores. It's a fact - children who work are more thankful than those who have everything done for them.  

• Look for opportunities to include your children in buying and giving to others.  Instead of putting your child's name on a gift tag to say a present is "from" them, have them help shop for a gift, maybe even pay for the gift with their own money, and wrap the gift.  Thankful children know what it is to give to others.

• Train the children to always say please and thank you.  Always.  To the waitress, to the mom who hosted them for a play date, to their siblings, neighbors, the librarian, family members and friends.  

• See to it that you are setting the gratitude example.  Our children are great imitators of everything we do - the good, the bad, and the ugly.  BE THANKFUL!

• Every night at dinner have each family member share one thing they are thankful for.  This is a fun one we like to do each night at suppertime or Bible time.  It helps everyone to remember we have so much to be thankful for.

• Don't buy them everything they want.  Really, don't.  A child who gets everything they want, when they want it, is rarely a thankful child.  Waiting for something is good -it increases thankfulness.

Those are some of my ideas.  What are yours?  How do you help your kids to be thankful?  

Here are a couple of little projects we've done in the past.

The Giving Thanks Tree

Thankful Pumpkins  (You will have to scroll down a bit on the post to find the pumpkins.)