The Effects of Gratitude on Your Child's Health: 5 Practices for Cultivating Gratitude
Instilling an attitude of gratitude in your child plays an important role in their overall health and well-being.
The problem is… in our modern world of consumerism and instant gratification, this can feel not only difficult but lonely, too.
As I like to tell families I work with in my practice, raising healthy kids starts at home. And instilling gratitude values in your kiddo is a HUGE part of this! Perhaps more than you know.
Today, let’s talk about how gratitude relates to health and simple practices you can do as a family to cultivate it.
Why is a Doctor Talking About Gratitude?
If you think this is a disruption in our regularly scheduled programming of health-related content, think again!
Gratitude is considered one of the healthiest human emotions to practice and can have a profound impact on your child’s health.
Research shows gratitude can:
Improve immune function
Facilitate better sleep
Help strengthen relationships
Builds self-esteem
Lower blood pressure
Reduce anxiety, depression, and stress
Boost overall mental health and happiness [1] [2]
Children might have fewer responsibilities, but that does not mean being a kid is easy.
It’s estimated that 1 in 6 children living in the U.S. struggle with their mental health. And more than 40% have at least 1 chronic health condition.
Practicing gratitude is one of the most simple, powerful, and affordable ways to support your child’s mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
Now, with that being said, I want to add that this in NO WAY means we should dismiss larger, negative feelings.
In fact, dismissing these emotions and making kids feel like we need to be positive all the time can be extremely harmful to their emotional well-being.
We can acknowledge big feelings, validate their experience, AND cultivate a deep sense of gratitude. It’s not an “either-or” thing – rather, it’s healthy when they exist together.
Gratitude and the Brain
Let’s talk about gratitude and the brain for a second.
Between social media, a global pandemic, and all the challenges that come with growing up, our generation’s children are in a mental health crisis. [3]
It’s never been more important to support your kiddo’s mental and emotional well-being, beginning at a young age. And gratitude is one of the best places to start.
Did you know that having an attitude of gratitude rewires the brain in a way that has lasting positive effects? Gratitude can boost serotonin and activate the brain stem to produce dopamine, which is our “happy” chemical. [4][5]
So, when you raise a grateful child, you’re quite literally raising a happy one!
5 Practices to Cultivate Gratitude with Your Family
Now, the question remains:
How do we as parents teach our kids to be grateful?
Think of cultivating gratitude as part of laying a solid foundation for your child’s health. This comes down to doing small and intentional daily practices at home.
Practice prayer
Whether you are religious or not, practicing prayer of some kind that is rooted in counting your blessings is a powerful way to cultivate gratitude.
Try making this a habit before mealtimes (which has the additional benefit of aiding digestion!) and/or around bedtime.
Make it a ritual
Prayer is one form of ritual, but it’s not the only one. Here are a few more ways to practice gratitude with your family regularly:
Go around the dinner table each night and have everyone say one awesome thing that happened during their day
Pick a time of day that’s part of your kiddo’s routine (at night before bed, in the car on the way to school, etc.) and exchange one thing you appreciate about each other
On Sundays, have your child think of one thing they’re excited about the week ahead
Teach your child to say one thing they appreciate about themselves when they look in the mirror every morning
Being grateful involves appreciating the things and people in your life, as well as having love and appreciation for yourself. This is SO important for kids.
Slow down
Life can be busy, chaotic, and stressful at times. But if we don’t make a conscious effort to slow down, precious moments can pass us by and we can lose a sense of appreciation for them.
So, make an intentional effort to slow down and appreciate small moments with your family. This is a powerful thing to show your kids.
This can simply look like being present when you’re together and expressing thanks at that moment, whether that’s eating a meal together, taking a walk, or hanging out in the living room.
Practice giving
Encourage your kids to donate things like clothes they’ve outgrown or old toys. Be sure to explain how this will help other kids in need.
Your child may be reluctant to give away their things at first – not because they don’t want to help, but because they feel a lack of control. One way to approach this is by creating two boxes, one for “give away” and one for “keep”. And reinforce how this will help other kids just like them.
Donating can help your kids cultivate gratitude for their things and feel a sense of purpose in helping others, which is integral for their health.
Do gratitude activities
There are plenty of ways to make practicing gratitude fun and interactive! One activity I love is the Gratitude Jar.
Simply leave a labeled jar out in your kitchen or living room, along with a separate jar that contains small pieces of paper. Let every family member know that they must write one thing they’re grateful for every day and stick it in the gratitude jar.
Every so often, you can go through the jar together as a family, and you’ll see how much you have to be grateful for.
Bonus: Thanksgiving Holiday Activity for Kids
Although gratitude should be cultivated all year round, Thanksgiving provides the perfect moment to reinforce these practices!
This Thanksgiving, to celebrate the spirit behind the holiday, have your children create a ‘Gratitude Tree’ where they write one thing they’re grateful for on each leaf.
You can find detailed instructions along with an example of how to do this activity right here!
Raising Happy and Healthy Individuals
It is my mission to create healthier generations of children, and grateful kids grow up to be happier and healthier adults!
If you desire support from a doctor who looks at the whole picture when it comes to your child’s health and is on a mission to share what they know?
Join our membership community, Healthy Families Collective, to education, empower, and have support from Dr. Michelle and like-minded parents.
