Greetings!

Teaching your children the art of saying thank you is a gift that will benefit them throughout their lives.  Understanding the power of acknowledgment and recognition of themselves as well as others builds healthy self-esteem and self-worth.  Learning the skills of extending to others in a spirit of gratitude builds relationships that will serve them personally and professionally.

As it says in chapter 4, “Expressing thank you isn’t just when mind your manners is said.”  Spending time with your children to explore the art of saying thank you incorporates this valuable life skill into their daily lives.

Imagine your child having a sense of gratitude the moment he or she wakes up.  Picture your child being able to center thoughts and actions with the words thank you.  How can you help your child reach these abilities and more?

Teach them how to make up thank you rhymes.  Talk about thank you affirmations and practice with them.  Get a notebook and show them how to write about their gratefulness in a thank you journal.  They can draw pictures to describe their feelings.  They can write poems.  They can share their feelings with you.

Develop family gratitude fun such as planting sticky notes around for each other with thank you’s.  Take a few moments around the dining table and have each person share something for which they are grateful.

The more you incorporate thank you into your daily lives, the more impact gratitude and appreciation will have for everyone.  In times of challenge and difficulty, the art of saying principles are even more powerful as a way of centering, reducing fear and enabling the family to work as a team.