Cultivating Thanksgiving & Gratitude in our Kids
Did you know that practicing gratitude can lead to better sleep, improved mood, and even boost your immune system? In this festive episode of Carpool Conversations, Amy and Sara explore the heart of Thanksgiving, offering parents practical tips for cultivating thanksgiving and gratitude with their kids. Join us as we dive into the “Head, Heart, and Hands” model, a powerful tool to help your kids not only understand gratitude in their minds but also feel it in their hearts and express it through action.
Whether it’s sparking meaningful conversations, creating cherished family traditions, or finding ways to give back, we’ll guide you through creative and simple steps to make this season one of thankfulness and joy. Tune in for ideas you can use all year round, and discover how to instill a spirit of gratitude that reaches far beyond Thanksgiving Day.
Time Stamps:
(0:18) Introduction
(3:25) Ideas for serving together as a Family
(4:50) A year-round spirit of Thanksgiving & gratitude.
(5:30) Studies have shown that feeling thankful can improve sleep, mood and immunity.
(7:10) Introducing the “Head, Heart, & Hands” model.
(7:49) How we should THINK about the idea of gratitude and thankfulness.
(7:57) Memorize Bible verses and look to biblical symbols to start cultivating thanksgiving.
(11:00) Ask kids open-ended questions to get them to ponder their day, and dig out those things they are grateful for.
(12:22) Reaching our kids HEARTs with the spirit of gratitude. Our hearts are the well-spring of our actions.
(13:44) Practical and Creative Ideas for cultivating thanksgiving & gratitude in our kids and our family.
(22:05) There nothing more joyful as a parent, than to see your kids be authentically grateful.
(22:45) Get your family involved in coming up with a plan. (And then actually follow through with it.)
(24:00) Question of the Week.
Links:
Can expressing gratitude improve your health? – Mayo Health Clinic
Gratitude Themed Family Conversation Starters
Book: Shepherding a Child’s Heart – Tedd Tripp
