Each night at bedtime, children are bringing to mind someone or something for which they are grateful. Their practice is to see this someone or something as a jewel — to hold that jewel for 20 seconds… and then place it into the treasure chest of the heart. Dr. Rick Hanson, neuropsychologist and author of, The Buddha’s Brain, writes about this process of hard-wiring happiness in our children here.
A great body of research on gratitude has emerged in recent years and tells us that cultivating gratitude can strengthen immune systems, lower blood pressure, increase positive emotions, increase generosity and compassion, and decrease feelings of loneliness and isolation.
The Greater Good Science Center has launched a $5.6 million, three-year project, Expanding the Science and Practice of Gratitude. Their website is packed with great resources including these great tips for cultivating gratitude.
For more on the role that parents can play in fostering the development of children’s gratitude, check out this this video with Dr. Andrea Hussong. And in, Making Grateful Kids, Jeffrey Froh and Giacomo Bono explain how to foster gratitude in children, drawing on new research and compelling real-life stories.
Have a favorite book about gratitude? Please share it here! We’d love to hear about it!