There are SO many ways to nurture gratitude and thankfulness in children from a distance.
In the U.S., Thanksgiving is coming up and many families will be looking for ways to make it special – but from a distance. But gratitude is something that can be used to connect with your grandchildren all year long. Here are 3 ways to bring gratitude into your connections.
Gratitude Pumpkins
This idea was shared by one of our members of The Long Distance Grandparent Society.
Every year her family creates a gratitude pumpkin. They write things they are grateful for on a pumpkin with a sharpie and then use it as a centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner.
This activity lends itself particularly well to engaging with your grandchildren from a distance. You both need a pumpkin and 10 minutes for a chat to write what you are grateful for on the pumpkin. You can then both use it for your centerpiece for dinner. Even if your grandchildren are too young to add ideas to the pumpkin, it’s still a lovely tradition to start with the parents.
Thank-you Notes
I’ve shared this idea before: write a Thank-you for the TIME we spend together note to your grandchild. But this time, include a note to the parents for making the virtual time with your grandchildren possible. Parents are key partners and sharing your gratitude for the connection work they do on their end is so important.
Minute to Win It – Gratitude Style
Each player must write down all the things they are grateful for in one minute. Set a timer and the winner is the person who writes the longest list. Be sure to jot down a few of their answers so that you can use them in follow-up conversations.
You could also remove the time component away and make a grateful alphabet as a family by coming up with things to be grateful for with each letter of the alphabet, taking turns for each letter.
Happy Connecting!
