How To: Gratitude Discussion Board
The Thanksgiving season is about cultivating a heart of gratitude, whether this is something you’re working on to improve your personal health and outlook, or it’s something you’re working on as a family. Like all parents, I want my children to grown into caring, grateful adults. However, I'll admit, it is often easier to simply tell children they should be grateful instead of taking the time to explain the concept and how it works in our everyday lives. This is especially true during the busy holiday season with school, sports, extracurricular activities... and sometimes a deployed spouse!
This year, I decided to use the month of November to explore the concept of gratitude with my family, but this would also make a really fun group activity with friends. My kids and I worked together to create an eye-catching bulletin board that is full of gratitude questions and discussion topics. We hung it in our kitchen, near the dinner table, and are taking turns picking a question to discuss at family meal times. The kids enjoyed working together on the project and the discussions have been interesting. It's nice to have something other than school or swim practice to talk about and I'm learning lots about what goes on in those little minds.
I hope your family or friend circle tries making a gratitude discussion board, or you can print a set of the questions to spur conversation. It's an easy project that can have a big payoff: a more grateful outlook this Thanksgiving.
Does your family have any Thanksgiving traditions?