THREE WAYS FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY TO GIVE THANKS

​‘Tis the season when children are frequently sick and parents experience higher levels of stress given everything required to prepare for, and celebrate, upcoming holidays. While stress stimulates sickness and claims responsibility for up to 90% of all doctor visits, gratitude enables us to better manage stress. Not surprisingly, grateful people tend to think more optimistically which researchers say boosts the immune system.

Creating a Blessings Jar like this one, courtesy of martysmusings.net, is a great way to grow your family’s gratitude!

Here are three simple ways your entire family can grow their gratitude this season.

Place cards with a purpose. Write the names of everyone who will be attending Thanksgiving dinner on place cards. Next, ask your children to think of one reason they are thankful for each person and write it on the back of the place card. Depending on how many children you have, you can assign names as you wish including having siblings write notes for each other. Ask everyone to read them aloud and enjoy learning what your kids cherish most about their relatives, vacations, family gatherings, etc.

You can turn this purposeful project into a creative craft by having your children decorate the place cards first. For example, glue dried leaves to the front; paint pretty autumnal images such as a pumpkin, cornucopia or turkey; or create images with stamps if you have them. Use a hole puncher to poke a hole and then tie a pretty ribbon on the top of the place card for extra punch.

Jar of Blessings. The best way to turn attention away from the hustle and bustle of the season and towards its true meaning is to establish a Blessings Jar tradition. While most families write blessings for 31 days, you can do it for however long you wish. Simply give your kids scraps of paper and ask them to write one thing or person they are grateful for every day. By the time Thanksgiving arrives, the jar will be a bounty of blessings! Spread the blessings around the table and during Thanksgiving dinner, each family member can take turns reading them aloud.

DIY notes for distant loved ones. In a perfect world, your entire family would gather around the dining room table in your newly built dream home. Show your appreciation for loved ones you won’t be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with by writing a heartfelt note on DIY cards. Remember when your sister flew into town to take care of your kids while you moved? Now is a great time to thank her. Have kids hunt for round or oval leaves in the backyard. Lay them flat to dry overnight. Lightly paint a side of the leaf with orange poster or metallic paint, and gently press it onto the bottom half of a piece of construction painter. Carefully remove the leaf and a beautiful stencil will appear. Add a stem with small paintbrush or draw one with a marker. Once the paper is dry, fold in half and write a note of thanks on the interior paper.

Article by: Jennifer Elkow