Have you ever heard kids say any of the following phrases: “I want that”, “That’s mine, I don’t want to share”, “Give me that”? My guess is yes you have, maybe at the grocery store, school or right at home. It can be a struggle to teach sharing. I believe a good way to teach sharing is by being thankful. In this age it’s easy to not have to wait for anything, with fast food and speedy checkouts it’s no wonder kids believe they can have everything. “Hey mom just pull out that plastic card and charge it!” If only it were that easy. The first way to teach thankfulness – and it’s a big one – is you. You are the biggest, greatest role model that your child has. So are you thankful? Whatever your saying is what your child hears; and in turn will be what they say!
When we teach child thankfulness, it’s a good quality that should stay with them their whole entire life. So let’s get started with some ways that we can teach thankfulness to your child. Thank you notes almost seem like an obsolete thing to do. With email and texting (ie:TY) we rarely sit down and pen a “thank you”. Well, with the holidays fast approaching you can write some thank you cards. You or your child can pen these, or make a computer version. Preschoolers can dictate words and then add a drawing to the card. Thank yous don’t start and stop at Christmas, but can be used throughout the whole year such as birthdays, play dates, parents, teachers, school crossing guards, police, firefighters and doctors – just to name a few. Remember to reinforce this throughout the year and thank those around you.
Things to do to add to a thank you card:
1. Have a drawer full of thank you cards with special pens and stickers to add to the card to make it special.
2. Make homemade thank you cards with extra special touches such as pictures of your child on the front or inside. Add on the back – “made special by __________” (with your child’s name).
3. Buy stamps with your child’s picture on them, this can bring big smiles to loved ones far away. Go to www.photostamps.com or www.zazzle.com for info on this stamp process.
Taking a child to a homeless shelter or a senior home can really bring thankfulness home. All communities have homeless shelters. Take your child and let them serve. When you get home, turn it into a teaching moment: be thankful for the food they have, the house they live in, etc. Take pictures of your child in action. This will be a constant reminder of that outing. I recently visited a senior home with a friend and my 10-month old son. As we walked around, faces lit up when they saw my baby in my arms. Many of them get so few visitors that they are happy to see anyone.
Showing thankfulness can also be a hug, a smile, homemade cookies, or a small gift. It really isn’t the amount spent, but the thought you have towards that person. Here are other are some other things you can do to instill thankfulness. This past October, my son had to go to Shriner’s Hospital for two surgeries. They do such great things for children and their families. You can donate gently used books, puzzles or toys (make sure the toys don’t have lots of pieces, the burned children are usually wrapped and cannot pick up small pieces). Our local Northern California Shriner’s Hospital is right in our area located at 2425 Stockton Blvd. Or call (916) 453.2000. If your child is given a lot of toys for their birthday or Christmas have them giveaway some of their older toys to a children’s home or a local church. You can also take clothes, toys and books to a local shelter and ask that they be given away.
Here are a few more thankful traditions you can start:
Thankful Chain: a paper chain with drawings that portray what your child is thankful for, or write words of thankfulness.
Thankfulness Box: fill a box with things your kids are thankful for and every family night you pass the box around and everyone reads one thing.
Leaf-a-gram: pick up a packet of those fake fall leaves at any craft store and attach a string with a thank you connected. Put it in an envelope or hand them a leaf.
Make homemade get well cards for hospitals or senior homes to pass out. This is a great project for your artistic child. Note: Make or buy some that say “thinking of you” or “have a great day” because some patients may be too sick to get well.
Start a Thankfulness Scrapbook : anytime anyone in the family is thankful or giving (toys given away, at nursing home, holding cards they made, etc.) add a picture of them to the book and it will become a great memory and it will remind them of what they did.
Remember children are like a sponge. They take in everything that’s going on around them, so be a grateful, thankful person. Teach your child to give, and being thankful will come naturally. We are blessed! Let’s not forget it. Start today by instilling thankfulness in your child.