Halloween has ended, and now the holiday decorations are going up and Thanksgiving is approaching. It’s officially the holiday season!

As the holidays arrive, for many teenagers, that means anxiety and FOMO. It’s simple for them to spend hours scrolling through photos of other people’s vacations or new purchases on social media and feel like they’re falling behind as approaching young adults.

I can’t help but think about how I’ll combat these ideas by encouraging my children to have gratitude and appreciation for what we have in our lives. So we’ll want to take a minute to help our children focus on the importance of things rather than material wealth.

Perhaps like us, you observe a family tradition of exchanging everything you’re thankful for on Thanksgiving. And, if your kids don’t seem grateful, it’s probably because they lack appreciation. After all, gratitude in teens (much less in tweens) might be hard to come by. So this year I am working on proposing something different.

How can parents teach tweens and teens to focus on gratitude beyond Thanksgiving?

The good news is that there are a few simple things you can do to encourage your children to be more thankful throughout the year.

Here are 7 Ways to Teach Tweens and Teens Gratitude Beyond Thanksgiving:

1. Keep a gratitude journal.

Encourage your teens and tweens to write down one thing they are grateful for daily, whether big or small. This can help them see the positives in their lives and practice being thankful on a daily basis. There is a growing body of research on the benefits of gratitude.

Studies have found that giving thanks and counting blessings can help people sleep better, have low stress, and improve interpersonal relationships. A recent study found that keeping a journal of things you’re grateful for can decrease materialism, help our focus, and increase generosity.

2. Get involved in service projects or volunteering opportunities together as a family.

The idea of service projects or volunteering opportunities together as a family is that the teens and tweens can see firsthand how they can make a difference in their community and the lives of others. This will help your teens and tweens to appreciate what they have and inspire them to want to make a difference, too.

What is an example of a service project or volunteering opportunity your teens can engage in together as a family? An example of a service project or volunteering opportunity is collecting donations for non-perishable food and other items at the local food bank. The teens could organize their friends, neighbors, relatives, and schoolmates to collect donations for the food bank throughout the week.

3. Make gratitude a family tradition

A family tradition can be anything that is done on a regular basis. This could be something as simple as going around the dinner table each night and sharing one thing everyone is grateful for that day. This helps create a daily awareness of what people are grateful for in their lives.

This may seem like a small thing, but it can have a huge impact on how we feel about our lives and the people in them. We might even find ourselves feeling more connected to our kids, less likely to take them for granted, and vice versa. It also helps create a daily awareness of gratitude and strengthens our relationships with our preteens.

4. Take a digital detox and have a technology-free day or weekend.

Digital detox is a term that was coined by the author and speaker, Cal Newport. It refers to the act of taking a break from digital devices, such as smartphones and laptops.

The benefits of digital detox include:

-Increased focus and productivity

-Improved sleep quality

-Less anxiety and depression

This can help your teens and tweens appreciate the simple pleasures in life, like spending time with family or going for a walk outside, instead of being constantly plugged into their devices.

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5. Encourage acts of kindness and generosity towards others.

Teaching and modeling kindness to our children is essential. Experts have determined that showing kindness changes the brain and that selfless acts of giving provide the physical and emotional benefits needed for a well-rounded individual. This is why kindness is such an important lesson for kids. We want them to think about other people before themselves and to show empathy for others.

Whether it’s holding the door open for someone or bringing a friend a small gift to show appreciation for their friendship. These actions can help your teens and tweens see the value in showing gratitude to those around them. Acts of kindness and generosity towards others are a great way to make someone’s day better. It doesn’t take much effort to do something kind for another person.

6. Reflect on your own gratitude

A vast majority of research suggests that parents being grateful to their children will only result in more respectful behavior when they themselves become adults. Gratitude is a powerful emotion and one of the most important ones in our lives. It’s not just about being thankful for what we have, but also about being grateful for what we do have. Share this with your preteens. Parents’ intentions and actions are important in developing such emotions in their children.

7. Give your preteens a gratitude jar.

A Gratitude Jar is a great way to help preteens learn to be grateful. It teaches them to appreciate what they have and to count their blessings. Gratitude Jars are a great way to get your kids thinking about finding the good in each day — and it’s a practice they can continue throughout their life.

Gratitude jars provide a simple way to cultivate the habit of being mindful of the good things in one’s life. Each day or week, you write down one thing for which you’re grateful and put it into the jar where they collect as a reminder of the good things in your world. At the end of the month, they can read thru and share. Your tweens and preteens will notice that even on a “bad day” they will find a moment they are grateful for.

Teaching gratitude is one of the most important things parents can do to help their children grow into happy, productive adults.

Incorporating these techniques into your family routine can help them appreciate all the good things in their lives.

How do you encourage gratitude in your teens and tweens? Please share your tips with me in the comments!

Happy Holidays!