“Develop an attitude of gratitude. Say thank you to everyone you meet for everything they do for you” — motivational speaker Brian Tracy
Teaching your preschooler about gratitude can help them feel more positive about their surroundings and deal with any adversity they experience when they get older. Here are some ways you can teach your little one to be thankful and return kindness to others.
Teach Your Preschooler to Say “Thank You”
Saying “thank you” when receiving kindness will help your child appreciate good deeds and build closer bonds with people who care about them. Encourage your preschooler to be thankful when someone does something special for them and to express those feelings in words. That someone might be a friend, family member, or even a teacher at their language immersion preschool!
A younger child might struggle with the concept of gratitude at first. However, teaching them to give thanks will help them respect others and improve social relationships.
List Five Things You Are Both Grateful For
Making a list of the five things you and your preschooler are currently grateful for can improve mental clarity and let you both focus on the important things in life. You might be thankful for things like good health, a family pet, or the ability to learn a new language. Being grateful for everything you have—rather than what you don’t have—can keep you and your preschooler in the present moment and make you more optimistic about life.
You might even want to keep a gratitude diary, which you can update over time with positive experiences. That can help you and your preschooler reflect on life events and express genuine thanks for the good things that happen to you. Research shows that people who make weekly entries in a gratitude diary experience positive moods, better sleep, and more optimism about the future than those who journal about the negative things in their lives.
Support Your Local Community
There’s no better way for a child to express gratitude than to donate their time or possessions to a local good cause. There are lots of ways preschoolers can support communities here in San Francisco, including:
- Picking up litter at a local park
- Bringing flowers to seniors in a retirement home
- Donating toys they no longer use to a thrift store
- Helping teachers at a language immersion preschool by clearing up equipment or putting books back on shelves at the end of the day
Final Word
It’s never too early to teach gratitude! Encouraging your child to say “thanks,” listing the things you are both grateful for, and expressing gratitude by supporting local organizations will allow your child to see the world through a more positive lens.
KSS Preschools offers Spanish language immersion programs for children aged 2-6 in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can enroll your child in a program now.
