The
Art of Appreciation
Gratitude is one of the trickiest concepts to teach toddlers
and preschoolers -- who are by nature self-centered -- but one of the most
important. Sure, thankful children are more polite and pleasant to be around,
but there's more to it than that. By learning gratitude, they become sensitive
to the feelings of others, developing empathy and other life skills along the
way, says Barbara Lewis, author of What Do You Stand For? For Kids (Free Spirit
Publishing, 2005). Grateful kids look outside their one-person universe and
understand that their parents and other people do things for them -- prepare
dinner, dole out hugs, buy toys. "On the flip side, kids who aren't taught
to be grateful end up feeling entitled and perpetually disappointed," says
Lewis.
Indeed, instilling grateful feelings now will benefit your
child later in life. A 2003 study at the University of California at Davis
showed that grateful people report higher levels of happiness and optimism --
along with lower levels of depression and stress. The catch? "No one is
born grateful," says life coach Mary Jane Ryan, author of Attitudes of
Gratitude (Conari, 1999). "Recognizing that someone has gone out of the
way for you is not a natural behavior for children -- it's learned."
Enjoy,
Ms. Nora Sierra
EC Assistant Principal
Grade 1 Teacher
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