As you think about the children in your life, consider incorporating some opportunities to demonstrate kindness and gratitude toward others. A few examples:
- Identify opportunities to thank or show appreciation for adults working in the school who are often behind the scenes, such as a custodian, lunch worker, or resource room aide.
- Invite your students to start each day by writing down or speaking about a specific event from the previous day for which they are grateful. (This could be incorporated in a gratitude tree/bulletin board/jar activity.)
- Use prompts as reminders for students to think about gratitude as it relates to all senses (things you hear, see, smell, touch/feel, taste, etc.). Get specific, “Today we are all going to think about something green for which we are grateful,” or, “Today we are all going to think about two important people in our lives, and why we are grateful for them,” etc.
The ability to feel and express gratitude has benefits such as making friends more easily, increasing our empathic responses toward others, and reducing aggression.
Find opportunities to be grateful and model showing appreciation for others this month and all year!
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