No matter who we are or what is going on in our lives, we all have something to be grateful for. By showing-- which is identical to teaching-- gratitude to your young children, you can teach them the path to a gratitude mindset that will serve them for the rest of their lives. We encourage this mindset in the Montessori elementary school, and encourage parents to do the same at home. An Attitude of Gratitude An attitude of gratitude is a vital element of the Montessori preschool, providing a sense of well being for the giver as well as the receiver. When you thank your child for a job well done, it pleases you to say so and gives your child an incentive to please you more often. It is much too easy to take the care and kindness of others in stride while taking a moment to acknowledge the efforts of others is never a waste of effort. Life as a Series of Lessons Even in the worst of times, there will be many reasons to express gratitude. Think of the bad things which happen as an opportunity to learn and be grateful for the knowledge that a lesson learned may not be repeated. Even when it seems like everything is going wrong, we can all be grateful for the meals we eat, the time we spend with friends and family, and the blessing of experiencing another day. Adversity is not there to defeat us, it is there to make us stronger. Give a Little Bit Gratitude is contagious. When a child discovers that being grateful is a path to gaining someone’s smile and attention, they will take advantage of the opportunity. As your child’s primary role model in life, you can nurture this desire to please by praising her when it is appropriate and displaying an attitude of gratitude to the people you interact with. When you display the gratitude mindset, you encourage your children to adopt it as well. As with so much of a young child’s education, the easiest and most successful way to teach them is to be the example they can learn from Comments are closed.
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