7 Ways To Teach Your Kids The Importance Of Gratitude

5. Start simple. Introducing children to gratitude, and thereby actually expanding their consciousness, may begin with teaching children to say 'thank you' for gifts and nice things that others do for them. It may also include saying Grace before meals. We can point out, for example, that the vegetables or bread we eat comes from seeds planted, nurtured, watered, harvested, packaged, transported and sold by store keepers and involved many, many people who work hard to put food on our tables. Saying Grace helps us remember to be grateful to all who contribute to our well being. —Micki McWade

6. Make a list. Writing a gratitude list (or drawing a picture with young children) makes people of any age feel better. I encouraged this exercise with my own children as they grew up and with the people in my practice. I have written a daily gratitude list for 20 years. —Micki McWade

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7. Serve others. One way to foster gratitude in teens is to take a group to serve at a soup kitchen, help build a home with Habitat for Humanity, or work with a Midnight Run group bringing blankets and food to the homeless, for example. Kids who are lucky enough to have a home and parents realize not everyone has the same blessings. It can be an eye-opener. —Micki McWade