How to Teach Children to be Thankful

Helping Kids Learn to Recognize and Show Appreciation

Nov 7, 2008

Kids are never too young to start learning how to see and show thanks for the good things in their lives.

Good habits start young, and showing appreciation is no exception. Try these simple strategies for increasing your child’s awareness of the importance of being thankful.

Practicing Giving Thanks

Many families have a Thanksgiving tradition that involves each person announcing what they are thankful for. Why limit this lovely practice to one day a year? Try incorporating this into your family routine daily, perhaps at the dinner table. Young children can certainly benefit from the opportunity to take the time to reflect on their day and announce to their family what they are thankful for. Whether they are thankful for their dog, a trip to the park, or their milk, they are learning how to recognize the things in their life, both big and small, that they appreciate.

Pointing Out the Positive

Model for kids a positive and appreciative attitude by verbally noticing the small but nice moments that happen throughout your day together. Statements like, “it was nice of that lady to hold to door open for us,” or “we sure are lucky we got such a nice day for our picnic,” helps kids learn how to recognize and acknowledge when good things are happening.

Modeling Thankfulness

Make sure kids see you thanking others, and thanking them, often. When kids hear comments like, “I really appreciate that,” or “that was really helpful,” they are more likely to use such statements themselves. Plus, it's a real boost to their confidence and self-esteem.

Helping Kids Be Givers

Letting kids participate in small acts of service can expose them to situations where adults are thanking them. For example: let your child be the one to put the money in the Salvation Army pail, or help hold a door open for someone, or help a younger child at the park.

Thanking for Gifts

Get kids involved in making thank you cards for gifts as early as possible. Even if their participation is little more than putting some stickers on a thank you cards or “writing” their names with a crayon, they benefit from practicing the process. Explain what you are doing and why, and gradually kids will assume more of the responsibility for the process as they get older.

Finding small ways to show thanks every day sets a great example for small children. Helping kids show and practice their thankfulness beyond the holiday season will also build their character and help them develop a more positive attitude.

The copyright of the article How to Teach Children to be Thankful in Early Childhood Development is owned by Susan Carney. Permission to republish How to Teach Children to be Thankful in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.