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Experts are always sending me stuff hoping for a spot in the Daily Buzz, and I usually just ignore them because the advice I get from the moms here is so much better.
But I recently came across this little "how-to" from Kansas State University child development expert Chuck Smith that I thought was pretty good.
He suggests three simple ways to teach your kids to be thankful. With Thanksgiving and the holidays coming up, I know this is on all our minds. (I, for one, am really tired of reminding my 6 year old to say thank you after a nice gesture or when someone gives him a gift. Is there a point when autopilot kicks in?)
As we all know, telling kids to be thankful just doesn't work. You have to show them, and hope your good modeling rubs off. I liked Smith's three simple and real suggestions on how to do that ...
1. Donate to a local food pantry.
Make an afternoon cleaning out your cabinets and scouring the shelves at the grocery store. The parent and child should make a list of the foods to get. When the family takes the food to the pantry the child should be the one to hand deliver it, with the parents there to provide support, Smith said. Talk about it at dinner. "Say, 'Maybe, just maybe, there is someone who is eating the food we brought today.'"
2. Donate used toys or games to a local women's shelter or emergency shelter instead of selling them.
This is an opportunity to involve the child in making decisions about what others might like to be given, Smith said. All items to be donated should be in good condition and games should have all of their pieces. "After the toys are chosen and delivered, parents can talk to their children about the child who is now playing with this toy who might not have had any other toys," Smith said.
3. Draw or paint pictures for sick children, soldiers or others.
Holidays away from home and family can be particularly difficult for those who are sick or who are deployed. A heartfelt picture from a child can deliver a much-needed emotional boost, Smith said. Talking about this not only gets children thinking about the sacrifices made by others, by also gets them to consider what sorts of things they can do to help make that person's life a little bit brighter.
Are your children thankful for all they have, or could they use a little dose of gratitude? How do you teach your children to be grateful?
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Comments (6)
My twins could learn a little graditude. They are 4 and it is all about themselves. I have no idea how to even start. We always place emphasis on please and thank you, but it is still all gimme. Ugh. I do think we will donate some of their old toys to a women's center or child's center this year though.
Every night before we go to bed I have the kids list five things that they are thankful for that day and I list five of my own. Some of the things they are thankful for are silly, but some are very insightful. We also donate used toys and every year we pick a couple toys to donate to kids who don't have enough to get Christmas presents. My son picks a boy gift and my daughters pick a girl gift.
Great ideas. I have been thinking about doing something with my boys like volunteering. We already donate all our outgrown toys and clothes.
When my children (now 28 and 30) wer little, our church always had a Christmas tree with tags for Christmas. We always tried to find a tag with a child close to their age to donate a gift at Christmas time. They understood that some moms and dads couldn't get a lot of nice toys for their children and that at Christmas especially, we share love with others. I have my 9 year old grandson now and we continue to do the same thing.
Just last night actually we put together Thanksgiving cards filled with candy for my hubby and some of the single guys that are deployed with him. My three year old got to pick what candy out of the bag to send to each of them and stuffed the cards for me. I had her drop a toy off at Toys for Tots the other day too. We tend to do Angel Trees at church at Christmas time as well.
She's only three and developmentally delayed, so it's sort of hard to know how much of it she gets, but if she grows up doing these activities, gratefulness will be natural (I hope).
I think these are great ideas! We used to have a birthday party scavenger hunt for several birthdays, for both kids, we would collect specific can goods and paper goods as a scavenger hunt & then the next day the kids would take the "booty" to the local shelter. It was fun & always made them feel so good about themselves. They also went to a high school that required donating your time to a charity for graduation - it kept them in touch with how good they have it!
BTW that pic is ADORABLE!