Have you heard of a Thanksgiving box? It’s a super easy way to encourage your child to be grateful year-round, not only during Thanksgiving.
What’s a Thanksgiving Box?
A thanksgiving box is simply a tool to remind your family to be thankful. You can use a simple cardboard box, or a plastic jar if you prefer, to store slips of paper with reasons you are thankful.
When you put offers of thanks in the box, you can cultivate your child’s faith. It’s a good practice for you as well. Counting your blessings every day can reduce your stress levels and improve your outlook. It’s an excellent practice to start with young children to teach them the importance of thanking God every day.
How to Use a Thanksgiving Box
You get to decide how to use this box. Perhaps you want to put something in it daily. Another idea is to put entries in from each family member once per week. Still another method is to put entries in randomly, whenever you are inspired to give thanks.
The more consistent you are in putting entries into the box, the more gratitude you will reap in your family. It’s easy to get excited about new activities like this, and then they fall to the side after a week or two. But if you form a pattern, say every day at supper or on every Sunday night, this pattern will be more likely to stick.
Another key part of the Thanksgiving box is to review the entries. Make a plan of how often you’ll take the entries out and review them. If you put entries in daily, perhaps you want to review them weekly. If you put them in weekly, maybe a monthly or quarterly review would be manageable. By reviewing the entries, you’ll help your child reflect on blessings they may have forgotten. Your memory will be refreshed as well!
Every Family Member Benefits from a Thanksgiving Box
As we mentioned, each person in your family will benefit from the Thanksgiving box. As soon as a child can speak, he or she can name something to put in the box. Young children can also practice their handwriting skills by writing their own entries.
Every family member’s contribution is important. When children see Dad and Mom putting their own entries into the box, they will witness good modeling. Also, as each child contributes an entry, his or her value as a family member will be affirmed. Mom and Dad can even put in entries on Baby’s behalf. Include every family member’s entry to communicate the importance of gratitude for all ages and stages.
By regularly contributing to the Thanksgiving box, you’ll establish a valuable family tradition. Your children will grow up and appreciate the fact that their parents gave them tools for gratitude at a young age, which will help them be thankful as adults someday.
So, grab a box now that will serve as your Thanksgiving box! Let your children decorate it to make it more special.
Start Your Thanksgiving Box Today
Now that you know the benefits of a Thanksgiving box, learn more tips for cultivating gratitude in your children by listening to Episode 21 today.
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