Why Gratitude Matters
Gratitude is more than just saying ‘thank you.’ It’s a mindset that can profoundly impact one’s wellbeing, relationships and overall outlook on life. Research suggests that cultivating gratitude in children leads to increased happiness, improved social skills, and a greater ability to cope with challenges.
Developing Gratitude in Children
Gratitude is like a muscle, the more you use it the stronger it gets, so how can we develop gratitude in our children?
- Model Gratitude: Children learn by example. When they see adults expressing gratitude for both big and small things, they are more likely to adopt this mindset. You will also soon find that in modelling it you will start to have a more positive outlook as your focus will be on things that you are grateful for rather than the things that are going wrong or things you do not have.
- Encourage Reflection: Prompt your child to reflect on positive aspects of their day. What made them smile? What are they thankful for? This habit promotes mindfulness and appreciation. Asking ‘What went well today’ or getting your child to identify three things that went well today are easy ways to prompt our children. With younger children, you may need to go first to lead by example and you will soon find that the children are able to do this without prompting.
- Volunteer Together: Engaging in community service or helping those in need teaches children the value of giving back, fostering a sense of gratitude for what they have. It will make you feel good. You will meet new people and you will make a difference by serving others in the community.
Practising Gratitude at Home
- Gratitude Journal: Encourage your child to keep a gratitude journal, jotting down things they are thankful for each day. This simple practice instils a habit of recognising and appreciating the positive aspects of life. This daily practice is done by many successful athletes and high performers. One athlete that undertakes this daily practice that might surprise you is AFL star Dustin Martin. Reportedly Dustin Martin has written in his daily gratitude journal for over 1000 consecutive days.
- Family Appreciation Time: Designate a moment during family gatherings to express gratitude. Share highlights of the day and what each family member is thankful for. This creates a positive atmosphere and strengthens family bonds. Dinner time is often a great time for this to occur. In busy families where children have sport or music on nights that make families dinners difficult, start by setting aside one night per week to have a family dinner.
- Thank You Rituals: Instil the habit of saying thank you, not just out of politeness, but as a genuine expression of gratitude. This can include expressing thanks before meals or before bedtime. At the end of each training and game, encourage your child to thank the coach and thank the referees and scorers. You will find that this quickly becomes a habit. Having coached junior sport for almost 30 years it always feels great to have one of your team thank you at the end of the game. One of the lovely things about being a teacher at Investigator College is there are a number of children that will thank their specialist teacher at the end of each lesson or their class teacher at the end of the day. It is one of the simplest and most powerful actions a student can do for their teacher.
At School: Nurturing Gratitude in the Classroom
- Gratitude Activities: Our teachers incorporate gratitude activities into the curriculum to foster a positive and appreciative mindset. This can range from gratitude journals and circles, prayer and art projects that encourage reflection. Sometimes in class, teachers ask students to share one thing the students are grateful for before the lunch break or the end of the day.
- Gratitude Challenges: We organise school-wide gratitude challenges to involve the entire student body. This creates a shared experience and emphasises the collective importance of gratitude. Often the service opportunities such as the Anglicare Christmas Appeal also start class discussions about being grateful for what we have.
- Community Engagement: We have a wonderful community and I think one of the reasons for this is that we actively engage our students in community service projects. These projects include things as simple as our Buddy program as well as the environmental work at Currency Creek. These projects, however big or small, foster a sense of responsibility and gratitude in our students for the broader community.
Things at Investigator College that I am incredibly grateful for…
It would be remiss of me to write a newsletter about gratitude without listing three of the things that I am grateful for, although there are way more than three things about Investigator College that I am grateful for.
- I am extremely grateful for the incredibly hard-working teachers and staff that create such positive learning environments and experiences for our children. Some recent highlights that our staff have developed for our students include the fantastic Christmas concert, one of the best I have witnessed, as well as the Investig8 Christmas activities occurring this week in the Junior Primary.
- This week I have had the pleasure of being involved in both the ELC and Year 6 graduations. These are wonderful ceremonies to be a part of and share with the students and their families. I am immensely grateful to be a part of these special ceremonies and rites of passage.
- The third aspect of Investigator College that I am grateful for has to be the wonderful students. The students at Investigator College are a pleasure to teach. They are kind, creative and make every day enjoyable. I love the high fives and fist bumps I get from students as I walk by. I love hearing about the birth of their new pets, loss of a tooth or the first goal they got in netball or football. Without fail, they always bring a smile to my face and for that I am grateful.
In nurturing gratitude in our children, we lay the groundwork for a positive and resilient future. By weaving this virtue into our daily lives, both at home and in the classroom, we contribute to the holistic development of our students.
Thank you for partnering with us in fostering not only academic excellence but also the values that shape compassionate and mindful individuals.
I hope you have a wonderful end to the term.
