Building thankfulness and appreciation into the fabric of your family is a gift your kids can rely on when they are faced with disappointment. Painful thoughts and emotions sometimes show up when children and teens practice appreciation and children can easily misinterpret parents’ reminders to be thankful as an indication that we’re minimizing their challenges, even when that’s not the case. When painful emotions do come up, encourage kids to view how they feel through a wide lens, not to gloss over their feelings or push them aside. When kids acknowledge their hurt feelings and remember the good things in their lives, they embody one of the themes they’ve been exploring—an open mind. Three Good Things gives children a chance to practice this holistic mind-set when they’re upset and they need it the most. To read more from Susan Kaiser Greenland, click here.
An Appreciation Game for Kids
