In the United States, Thanksgiving is widely considered a time of reflection. Setting aside the complex and controversial history of this holiday, Thanksgiving offers opportunities for fun, meaningful family conversations with children of all ages.
As parents, one of our biggest goals for our children is their happiness (and for them to listen occasionally, ha!). Research tells us that giving thanks and identifying gratitude leads to increased happiness. But gratitude doesn’t always come easily, especially in the face of challenges our children might face. Even as parents, we can be swept up in the everyday hustle, hurdles, and exhaustion and lose sight of the wonders around us.
As Thanksgiving approaches, it can be helpful to set aside focused time to talk with our children about gratitude. Family conversations support healthy communication in several ways:
Sharing and maintaining a single topic of conversation
Taking turns contributing to a conversation
Expanding recall and organization of past events
Building vocabulary and semantic connections through group brainstorming
Hearing and validating different perspectives
Creating a positive, safe dynamic
For this activity, families can have focused conversations about different ways we are thankful. For young children, it might be easiest to focus on concrete objects or people, like specific toys, books, pets, or people. For older children, add in some experiences, classes, or skills they are developing. For teens, challenge them to reflect on their privileges within a larger social context (along with their phones and friends, of course).
Orient your family chat around the construction of a Gratitude Wreath. Before you sit down to chat, print and cut out several pages of these fall leaves and grab some markers. During your conversation, everyone can take some leaves and write out (or draw pictures of) what they are thankful to have. Glue or tape your leaves into a circle and hang your Gratitude Wreath up for a meaningful holiday decoration! You can build your Gratitude Wreath in one sitting or gradually add to it over the course of a few days. We hope you enjoy this healthy time of family communication.
Happy Thanksgiving!
