GRATiTuDE CHANGES EVERYTHING

Study after study shows that when we feel grateful, our brains and bodies greatly benefit. 

Gratitude helps boost areas of your brain where your logical thinking skills, decision-making and memory center live. Study after study shows that when we feel grateful, our brains and bodies greatly benefit. If those three areas are strong and functioning at a high capacity, we are able to think better, quicker, more rationally and retain information - exactly what we want for our kids! This is something that will make an impact and leave you feeling more connected than ever.

Please and thank you is nice, but is it anything more than good manners?

Time after time I go into classrooms and ask kids what gratitude is. Very seldom does a kid raise their hand. So I change the wording, “What does being thankful mean?” One or two hands may go up, but not many. And I am not just talking four-year-olds. Fifth graders have problems with this, too. We want our kids to be polite and say thank you but what we really want is for them to FEEL thankful. If they are not connecting at a social and emotional level, they are missing out on the benefits of gratitude.

What does your kid notice first?

As a teacher, I want to tell you about one of my previous students. We'll call him Cole. Cole found the negative with just about everything. When someone brought in a birthday treat, his first response was, "Not my favorite flavor." If we got extra recess, his response might be, "Why bother; the swing is already taken." Field trip? "I hate riding the bus."

I can't imagine what it was doing to his brain to be in a constant negative mindset because it was bringing me down big time just being around it. Some might just say, "Cheer up, Cole! Don't be so negative!" But, if you don't know how to do that, you can't just make it happen. What Cole needed was an active practice of gratitude to find some positive in each situation. 

Maybe Cole sounds a little bit like your child. Maybe you wish your child appreciated more of what he or she has instead of wishing for the latest and greatest toy, brand, shoes, vacation, house, pony...you name it! No matter where your kiddo falls, you could help up their gratitude game.

I knew I could help Cole. I challenged him each day to pause and think of something to be grateful for before he said anything negative. He struggled at first, but after two weeks he was making progress. He also seemed genuinely happier and the other kids were seeking him out more to play! (He obviously had been bringing them down too.)

But by the end of the year...Cole had totally retrained his brain and made huge changes in mindset, mood and personality. He was much more confident in himself and his connection to others. It's amazing with a little gratitude can do!

Ready to up your family gratitude game with a HUGE focus on family fun?

Even though I'm a total believer in gratitude journals, I know how route they can become. And what we really want is to connect at an emotional level because that's what boosts cognitive and mental health.

THIS IS NOT A GRATITUDE JOURNAL. 

We created 21 fun, family-centered activities that will help you and your family learn to seek out gratitude. We're talking small tweaks that leave a HUGE impact on how you see life. And when you invest in gratitude, you're investing in your family’s level of connection and your child's entire future.

We're talking laughing, connecting, talking, playing...togetherness. When it seems like it's almost impossible to connect these days, this challenge will bring you right back to each other. If you have 15 minutes, you have time for a gratitude activity.

What You’ll Get

A gratitude boost your whole family can get behind.

• 21 gratitude-boosting games and activities for all ages. (Truly, ages 3-103!)

• 21 one-page posts for mom and dad to read before the activity to connect the why.

• Provided in a day-by-day format with printable activities sheets that you can keep to use in the future!

• If you're a binder fan, you’ll be glad to know that this comes in one print-and-go PDF document. If you’d rather not, you can access everything on our digital platform! Easy peasy!