I’ve been trying to teach my kids to be more thankful, but it’s not always easy. Anyone have tips on using positive reinforcement to encourage genuine gratitude? I’m looking for practical ideas that actually work, not just saying “thank you” automatically. What’s worked for your family?
I’m curious about how others are teaching gratitude too. We’ve started a simple thing where my 5-year-old and I share one good thing about our day at bedtime. Sometimes it’s as simple as a favorite toy or snack.
I’ve noticed my kid is starting to point out nice things more often, like ‘Mom, thanks for making my favorite dinner.’ It’s not perfect though. Some nights they’re too tired or just not into it.
What do you do when your kids aren’t in the mood for gratitude exercises? Do you push through or let it go for that day? I’m still figuring out the balance.
In our house, we’ve had some success with a gratitude jar. Every evening, we each write down one thing we’re grateful for on a slip of paper and add it to the jar. At the end of the week, we read them out loud together. It’s become a fun family tradition, and I’ve noticed my kid starting to point out things they appreciate more often during the day. It’s not perfect, but it’s helped create a positive habit around expressing gratitude.
We started a simple routine at dinnertime where we go around the table and share one good thing from our day. It’s low-pressure and the kids often surprise me with what they mention.
Sometimes it’s big stuff like a fun field trip, but other times it’s small things like a yummy snack or playing with the cat. Over time, I’ve noticed them noticing more positives throughout the day.
We also keep a family photo album and sometimes look through it together, talking about happy memories. This naturally brings up feelings of appreciation for experiences and people in our lives.
It’s been a gradual process, but these little habits seem to be helping them recognize good things more easily.
We do a quick gratitude check-in at bedtime. Kids share one good thing from their day. Started small, like favorite snacks, now they mention bigger stuff too.
Also try thanking them specifically when they help out. Shows how to express appreciation.
I’ve been down this road with my two kids. One thing that worked well was having a ‘gratitude moment’ during our nightly routine. We’d each share something we appreciated that day. It started small, like being thankful for pizza night, but grew into deeper stuff over time.
We also made thank-you notes a regular thing, not just for gifts. The kids would write notes for things like a fun playdate or when someone helped them out. At first, they grumbled about it, but it became a habit.
Another trick was pointing out when I felt grateful myself. I’d say things like, ‘I’m so glad you helped with the dishes without me asking. It made my evening easier.’ This helped them see gratitude in action.
It took a while, but these little practices added up. Now my teens are pretty good at expressing thanks on their own. 
Every kid is different though, so you might need to try a few approaches to see what clicks.