Appreciate

Our first PSHE topic for the Spring term is all about Gratitude. Children will be familiar with the concept of being grateful for "things" as they are often told to say thank you or to be grateful for gifts. We will be developing this idea and looking at gratitude for ourselves, other people in our lives and experiences too. It is widely thought that developing an "attitude of gratitude" has a hugely positive impact on mental well being. We hope this is something the children will be able to share with you at home as well. See below for tips on how to develop an "attitude of gratitude" within your household.

* Create a Gratitude Jar with scraps of paper beside it. Encourage everyone in the family to write down when they are grateful for something or someone, fold it up and place it in the jar. You could empty it and read your notes once a month or even at the end of the year. Why not try using different coloured or shaped paper or different pens for separate jars - one for THINGS you are grateful for, one for PEOPLE and one for EXPERIENCES.

* Introduce a habit of sharing something each member of your family is grateful for each day. You might like to do this while you eat a meal or before bed; whenever works for you. You could choose one aspect each day - one day a person we are thankful for, the next an experience, the next an object and repeat.

*Make an effort to thank each other for experiences as well as "things", or for just being who we are. Adults can model this in order to set an example for the children eg "Thank you for making me laugh today, I really needed cheering up!", "I really appreciated how kind you were to your brother when you helped him with his Lego earlier, thank you." "Thanks for keeping me company and walking the dog with me, I really enjoyed chatting to you while we walked."