The Best Gratitude Quotes for Kids

Presenting the best gratitude quotes for kids!

We all know that gratitude is good for our health, but is it good for our kids too? Here are some of the best gratitude quotes for kids to help inspire them to be grateful for everything they have.

Children should be taught to be grateful for everything they have. Even if things aren’t going well in their lives, they should still be able to say “thank you”.

If you want your children to be grateful, share this article with them and encourage them to appreciate life for what it has to offer.

The Power of Gratitude

The power of gratitude and why kids need to learn how to be grateful.

Gratitude and appreciation are two of the most powerful forces in the world. Gratitude is a huge factor in mental and physical health, and there’s no reason why kids should miss out on this.

Kids should be taught how to be grateful for everything they have.

While many adults are already aware of the positive impact gratitude has on our lives, not many of us give thanks for the things that we have. This often leads to feelings of deprivation.

That’s why it’s so important for kids to learn how to be grateful. It’s an essential life skill that’s extremely useful for them in life.

Thankfulness Equals Gratitude

Thankfulness equals gratitude.

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Sadness to Happiness

What makes a child thankful?   Children are naturally more thankful.

Why?

Because children are unselfish. They are grateful for everything they have, while adults are mostly selfish and self-centered.

This makes sense. If you’re grateful for something you already have, you can’t complain about losing it. If you’re grateful for something you don’t have, you’ll try to earn it.

In other words, it’s much easier to be grateful for what you already have, so it’s only natural that children are more thankful.  It’s the completion of thankfulness that translates in unconditional gratitude.

How to Show Gratitude from Adults to Children

How to show gratitude from adults to our children.

You can teach your kids to be grateful by encouraging them to express gratitude when they’re happy, sad, or upset.

Don’t just tell your kids to be grateful, show them. Teach kids and give them a reason to be grateful.  It’s the small and simple things like:

  1. Give them a card with a special message on it when they’ve done something good.
  2. Send them a text message or email to tell them they did a good job.
  3. Reward them for being kind to others.
  4. Create a special gift for them when they do something nice.
  5. Record a special ‘voice message’ so they can hear the sound of a loved one’s voice being thankful for their kindness.
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Show them how to be thankful, and they’ll be grateful.

Effective Ways to Teach Gratitude to Kids

Effective ways to teach gratitude to our youth.

It’s important to teach gratitude in early childhood. The best time is before the age of six, but you can start them even beginning at toddler age.

Gratitude and appreciation are important values in the world today. If we don’t teach kids how to be grateful for everything they have, they will grow up and be ungrateful for the simple things they have.

Even if things aren’t going well in their lives, they should still be able to say “thank you”.

While we can’t teach our kids how to be grateful by telling them to be grateful, we can teach them how to be grateful by being grateful ourselves.

Show them gratitude.  Show them how to be discipline of gratitude which includes gratitude for the small things in life as well.

You can begin by showing your child gratitude for every little thing. For example, you could say, “Thank you for doing your homework” or “Thank you for being such a nice kid”.

It’s not about being overly-sentimental. Instead, it’s about making sure your children know that they’re appreciated.

Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude in Your Children

Check out these 10 effective ways in showing kids how to develop a healthy attitude of gratitude:

Help someone less fortunate.

Journal your gratitude at bedtime.

Journal your gratitude at bedtime.

Always be complimentary of others.

Write a heartfelt letter to others.

Gifts are always an immediate expression of gratitude and shows thoughtfulness.

Start a tradition using a ‘Gratitude Jar.’

Participate in a non-profit organization and/or donate to charity.

Don’t forget to write ‘thank-you’ cards to those who showed kindness towards them.

Show by example that good manners are so important.  Be sure to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ as often as you can. 

The Benefits of Teaching Gratitude to Kids

The benefits of teaching gratitude to kids.

Gratitude has many benefits. When we’re grateful, we’re happier. Our brains release dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that helps us feel joy and pleasure.

Children who are taught to be grateful are also more successful. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that kids who were taught to be grateful were more likely to achieve higher test scores than those who weren’t.

The Benefits of Teaching Gratitude to Kids

Gratitude is one of the best ways to get your child to focus on the positive. The best part? It’s incredibly simple.

Children should learn how to say thank you. Why? Because it teaches them to see life as a blessing, and it makes them more confident. Here are some of the many ways that teaching kids to be grateful can benefit them in life.

  1. Children who are grateful will generally have better grades. Children who practice gratitude will be happier and more positive. Gratitude helps improve concentration, and having a more positive attitude can actually lead to higher grades.
  2. Gratitude helps prevent bullying. When kids feel good about themselves, they are less likely to bully others. Gratitude can also help build self-esteem, and bullies often have low self-esteem.
  3. Gratitude helps kids to be more responsible. Children who practice gratitude are more likely to be kind and helpful to others. They are also less likely to cut class, skip school, and get into trouble.
  4. Gratitude helps kids to be happier. Studies show that children with higher levels of happiness tend to have more positive attitudes toward life. Gratitude is a great way to develop a more positive mindset.
  5. Gratitude makes kids more focused. Kids who are more focused have better grades and are more productive. They also tend to be happier and more optimistic.
  6. Gratitude makes kids more creative. Children who practice gratitude are more likely to be creative, and this is because they are more interested in the positive aspects of life.
  7. Gratitude helps kids with ADHD. Many kids with ADHD have difficulty focusing and concentrating, which can lead to lower grades and poor performance in school. When kids practice gratitude, it can help them stay focused.
  8. 8. Gratitude can help kids with anxiety and depression. Many kids with anxiety struggle with negative thoughts. Gratitude helps them to think about the positive instead of the negative.
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The Best Short Gratitude Quotes

The following are 15 of the best short gratitude quotes cherry-picked from myself.  They are easy for kids to both remember and understand.

The most powerful 2 words of being grateful are’ Thank You!’

Beth Elkassih

“Gratitude and attitude are not challenges, they are choices.”

Robert Braathe

“If you want to find happiness, find gratitude.”

Steve Maraboli

“Through the eyes of gratitude, everything is a miracle.”

Mary Davis

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”

Willie Nelson

“Nature’s beauty is a gift that cultivates appreciation and gratitude.” 

Louie Schwartzberg

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” 

Aesop

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”

Author Unknown

“An attitude of gratitude brings great things.”

Yogi Bhajan

“Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone.”

Gertrude Stein

“All that we behold is full of blessings.”

William Wordsworth

“If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.”

W. Clement Stone

“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.” 

Mary Davis

“The highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” 

John F. Kennedy

“Develop an Attitude of Gratitude & Experience Happiness & Harmony.”

Beth Elkassih

The Best Gratitude Quotes for Kids

I don’t know about you, but I love good quotes about gratitude and especially those that can easily resonate with our youth!  A few are popular gratitude quotes from children’s books.  Take a look at what I think are the 20 best quotes to express our gratitude for kids. 

Quotes 1 thru 10:

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”

Unknown

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.”

A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

“Gratitude doesn’t change the scenery. It merely washes clean the glass you look through so you can clearly see the colors.”

Richelle E. Goodrich

“Gratitude is riches. Complaining is poverty.”

Doris Day

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”

Unknown

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

William Arthur Ward

“Gratitude can turn a meal into a feast.”

Melody Beattie

“Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.”

Karl Barth

“Appreciation can make a day – even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”

Margaret Cousins

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”

Brian Tracy

Quotes 11 thru 20:

“When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.”

Kristin Armstrong

“Gratitude is a divine attitude in the wisdom traditions. It takes you out from the ego self and takes you into the higher self. That higher state of consciousness initiates self repair, self regulation and healing.”

Deepak Chopra

“If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.”

W. Clement Stone

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”

William Arthur Ward

“The more you are in a state of gratitude, the more you will attract things to be grateful for.”

Walt Disney

“Thank you is the best prayer that anyone could say. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.”

Alice Walker

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”

Henri Frederic Amiel

“Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

John C. Maxwell

“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.”

Zig Ziglar

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”

Gilbert K. Chesterton 

Final Thoughts on Gratitude Quotes

In conclusion, the best way to teach children gratitude is to teach them to be grateful for everything they do receive in life. It might seem like a simple concept, but it’s one that’s not often practiced.

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The power of gratitude doesn’t just start in childhood. Let us be grateful as adults.  Why?  Because we can benefit by practicing gratitude as well. So remember to be grateful for everything you have and everything you do!

The Best Gratitude Quotes for Kids