3 Gratitude Practices for the Whole Family
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Photo:Britt Reints
Over at my own blog about pursuing happiness, I do a weekly post about the things that make me happy. It's a gratitude ritual that reminds me to stay on the look out for the positive moments in life, as well as a gentle reminder to readers to look on the bright side regularly. While your children probably don't have a blog, developing a gratitude practice can encourage a positive attitude and keep the entire family in better spirits. Of course, we're all busy and the idea of introducing another routine into your household may make you twitch. Good news - being thankful doesn't take much time! How can you make gratitude a regular part of your busy life? Try one of these habitual appreciation tricks.
3 Gratitude Practices for the Whole Family
1. Meal Blessings
Many religions teach gratitude and specific prayers to be said before or after meals. Whether you subscribe to any specific religion or not, this is one practice that is truly non-denominational. Take turns thanking whomever prepared your meal and then add on any additional blessings you want to acknowledge. The nice thing about this practice is that everyone has to eat so it's fairly easy to remember once you get into the groove.
2. Nightly Recaps
Do extra-curricular activities and odd work hours prevent family dinners? Try having a family meeting once a day to bring everyone up to speed on the good (and the bad) that's been going down in each other's lives. This is a great chance to answer the question, "what are you most thankful for today?" You're never too young -- or too old -- to reflect on gratitude at the end of the day.
3. Weekly Journaling
Instead of hitting the keyboard, grab a notebook and pen for everyone and designate a night for weekly gratitude journaling. Make a list or write a story about the highlights from the past week. Set a timer to get things going and making sharing optional at the end. This can be helpful if you have young kids who need practice writing or if you have teenagers who would rather write than talk directly to anyone in their immediate family.
Do you have a gratitude practice? Are you teaching the habit to your kids?
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