7 tips for cultivating grateful kids at Christmas

Helping your children be grateful at Christmas isn’t just about being polite. Gratefulness is a vital life skill. Research into positive psychology indicates that gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness.

Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with tough times and build strong relationships. These things aren’t just important for our kids, but also us as adults.

So while cultivating and practicing gratitude isn’t something we should do just at Christmas, the next few weeks are a prime opportunity to help our children grow in this area.

Below are 7 tips to consider for your family these holidays:

1. Talk about being grateful – make a point of discussing all the things you are thankful for in their lives (and your own).

2. Don’t go overboard – one way of avoiding creating a sense of entitlement for extravagant piles of gifts is to not go overboard from the start.

3. Slow down – if and when you’re opening presents, avoid rushing through the experience. Encourage everyone (adults and kids) to really savour the gift and express deep gratitude.

4. Make gifts when you can – allowing kids to create gifts with their own time and money provides a practical way to invest in the act of generosity.

5. Give to others – this may involve buying gifts for children in need, donating money or volunteering your time. Involve your children in the process and celebrate their impact.

6. Talk about money – Even when kids are young it’s ok to point out that Santa (or mum and dad) have a budget to work with. If you haven’t already, holidays are a great time to introduce a pocket money for chores program.

7. Box it up – either before or after Christmas, work with your children to box up and donate toys they no longer need or use (remembering, it’s not about getting rid of just the broken ones).

‘Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.’

1 Thesselonians 5:8