NOVEMBER 2019 19KRK010 NOV Newsletter | 页面 3

By age 2 or 3, children can talk about being thankful for specific objects, pets, and people. If they are not completely verbal, a toddler of this stage of development can point to who they are thankful for as a family engages in this practice together. By age 4, children can understand being thankful not only for material things like toys but for acts of kindness, love, and caring. How to Teach It Children model their parents in every way, so make sure you use “please” and “thank you” when you talk to them. (“Thanks for that hug -- it made me feel great!”) Insist on their using the words, too. After all, good manners and gratitude overlap. Work gratitude into your daily conversation. Try weaving appreciation for mundane things into our everyday talk. (“We’re so lucky to have a good cat like Sam!” “Aren’t the colors in the sunset amazing?” “I’m so happy when you listen!”) When you reinforce an idea frequently, it’s more likely to stick. One way to turn up the gratitude in your house is to pick a “thanking” part of the day. Two old-fashioned, tried-and-true ideas: Make saying what good things happened today part of the dinnertime conversation or make bedtime prayers part of your nightly routine. Have kids help. It happens to all of us: You give your child a chore, but it’s too agonizing watching him a) take forever to clear the table or b) make a huge mess mixing the pancake batter. The temptation is always to step in and do it yourself. But the more you do for them, the less they appreciate your efforts. (Don’t you feel more empathy for people who work outside on cold days when you’ve just been out shoveling snow yourself?) By participating in simple household chores like feeding the dog or stacking dirty dishes on the counter, kids realize that all these things take effort. [ 3 ]