I’ve been trying to teach my kids to be more grateful for what they have but I’m running out of ideas. We do the usual dinner table thing where everyone says what they’re thankful for but it’s getting pretty routine and they just go through the motions now.
Looking for some practical suggestions that actually work with kids - mine are 6 and 9 if that helps. Nothing too complicated or time consuming, just want some fresh approaches that might stick better than what we’re doing now.
We’ve been doing something similar with my 5 year old and I noticed the same thing happening. What seems to work better for us is catching moments throughout the day instead of making it formal. Like when we’re walking to the park, I might say “I’m grateful the sun came out today” and sometimes she adds her own thought. I’m curious though, do your kids respond differently when you ask them to notice good things that happened instead of what they’re thankful for? I feel like the wording makes it less predictable somehow. Still figuring this out myself but wondering if you’ve tried switching up the questions.
I totally get how the dinner table gratitude thing can turn into autopilot mode. My kids used to just mumble ‘I’m thankful for food’ every single night 
What worked better for us was catching them being grateful in the moment instead of making it a scheduled thing. When one of my kids complained about their phone being slow, I’d say something like ‘at least you have a phone’ and we’d talk about kids who don’t. Those random conversations seemed to stick more than formal gratitude time.
We also started doing thank you notes, but not the fancy kind. Just quick texts or verbal thanks to people who help us - the bus driver, their teacher, even each other when someone does something nice. My kids actually started noticing helpful people more after we did this for a while.
Another thing that surprised me was having them help with donations. When they picked out old toys to give away, they realized how much stuff they actually had. It wasn’t preachy, just a natural way for them to see their situation differently.
My kids started writing thank you notes for gifts they receive, even small ones from grandparents or friends. They draw pictures too which makes it more fun. What surprised me was how much they started noticing little things people do for them after we started this.
We also do gratitude walks where we point out things we appreciate - like someone’s pretty garden or hearing birds singing. It sounds cheesy but they actually look forward to these now and will bring up things they noticed on their own.
Another thing that worked was having them help pick out items when we donate toys or clothes. They get excited about giving their old stuff to other kids and it helps them see how much they actually have.
One thing that worked for us was making gratitude more physical. My daughter started keeping a small jar in her room where she drops in colorful beads whenever something good happens. She picks the color based on her mood - yellow for happy surprises, blue for peaceful moments, red for exciting things. At the end of the week, she counts them and tells me about a few. It became this little ritual she actually looks forward to. We also tried having her take photos of things that made her smile during the day, then looking through them together before bed. Sometimes it’s just our cat sleeping funny or a cool cloud, but she started noticing positive moments more naturally.
My kids started helping me write grocery lists and meal planning. They got really aware of how much food costs and how much work goes into family stuff. Now they actually notice when I cook something they like instead of just complaining about what they don’t want.