Gratitude is about more than an automatic “please” and “thank you” response when someone does something kind for you. Teaching children gratitude is about helping them learn to understand that in order to receive, someone else must give. It means when someone does something for someone, there is thought, effort, and sacrifice that goes into it. Teaching children gratitude helps them understand that doing things for others (good or bad) can affect that person, and that with service and love you can truly change the world for the better. Gratitude is also recognizing your blessings and being thankful for what you have so you can always appreciate what you attain. Sometimes it’s easy to mistake gratitude for manners. After all, it’s easy to teach a child to say “thank you.” But teaching children true gratitude—helping them discover and understand the feeling of gratefulness for the people, things, and activities in their lives—is much more difficult. Why is gratitude so important? While many of our Kids Village Values of the Month teach confidence, working hard to achieve goals, or working well with others, gratitude is a little different. Gratitude isn’t just about being a successful contributing member of society, it is … Continue reading Teaching Children Gratitude