Looking for information about Thanksgiving? Check out last week’s blog post for 4 Ways to Recognize and Honor Native Peoples at Thanksgiving.

The practice of gratitude is ever present in our Montessori classrooms—beginning with practical life, then through our practice of peace, grace, and courtesy. We show gratitude when we care for our environment, help a friend, calmly observe, or share something we’ve created. Gratitude connects us to each other and to our environment in powerful ways that improve our relationships, our wellbeing, and the earth. Here are some suggestions for fostering gratitude in our family life at home:

Beyond thanks: 5 ways to nurture gratitude in children

• Focus on what went “right” each day. Take a couple of minutes at bedtime to write down or talk about at least one thing, no matter how small, or one part of the day that you and your family are grateful for. 
• Don’t save conversations about gratitude for Thanksgiving. Whether driving back home or enjoying a family game night, talking about the people you are grateful for in your life—and why—can go a long way. Think about positive traits in others that make us feel grounded, loved, and give us a sense of security. 
• Promote sincere verbal or written expressions of thankfulness. Create a habit of thankful expression.
• Find ways to help others in need. Help your family find causes that they are interested in. By participating in such giving activities, they will gain a sense of purpose and develop skills that will help them succeed in life.
• Be a role model. One way to teach your children to be more grateful is by actually being more grateful yourself. Show them your appreciation on a regular basis and they will learn to follow in your footsteps.
  Source: Healthy Children.org

Gratitude Activities

• Take a Gratitude Walk. Take a hike together and practice having quiet respect for nature. In appreciation for our earth, leave no trace.
• Start a Family Gratitude Book. Use a notebook and assign a section to each family member. Keep this notebook in an easy to reach place in your home. When a family member feels grateful for another, they can jot down the moment of gratitude in the notebook. Make a point of meeting together and sharing the gratitude entries to build an appreciation for each other. 
• Draw Gratitude Together. Get out some paper and markers. Give prompts to get everyone started, such as “Draw something that makes you happy.” “Draw something that you love to do.”  “Draw someone that you love.” “Draw someone that helps you.” 
  Source: Positive Psychology

Gratitude for Struggling Parents

The past two years have taken a toll on parents as covid pushed us from busy over the edge to completely overwhelmed. Patience has run thin with our children and we are struggling to connect with and be supportive to our families. Spending time to focus on gratitude can improve our outlook and relationships:

1. Start a daily gratitude practice. Every morning, train yourself to find at least three things to be grateful for. Make it part of your morning ritual, so it’s automatic – as you brush your teeth, nurse the baby, drink your coffee, drive the kids to school, whatever. Can’t find the time? Make it a morning ritual with your kids and let them chime in. 

2. Every day, find a moment to sit with each of your children and feel appreciation for them. How did you get lucky enough to have this child put into your arms? Don’t let your worries steal this precious moment. Instead, remind yourself of how much you love this child. Let gratitude wash over you. Pour your love and appreciation into your child. This experience, repeated daily, changes your physiology, and your child’s, to make both of you happier and healthier.

3. When the upsets of daily life loom large, retrain yourself to find something positive in the situation. This may feel artificial at first, but you’ll quickly notice that your attitude really does depend on your perspective.
“Thank goodness she had this meltdown at home instead of in the store.”
“I’m getting better and better at dealing with his anger calmly.”
“This is a chance for him to get out all the tension from starting the new school.”
“At least this came up now, so I can see how upset he is about it and address it.”
“She cries with me because she trusts me.”
“How I handle my child’s emotions will make a difference for the rest of his life.”
“This isn’t a disaster. It’s an opportunity for growth.”
Source: AHA Parenting

“And now our minds are one.” Native American Gratitude Ceremonies

As we continue to observe Native American Heritage Month, we can look to the gratitude practices of American Indians for connection with each other and our natural world. Gratitude is a core value of many American Indian tribal cultures and this is demonstrated in small everyday ways, as well as at larger community gatherings and celebrations. One example of a Native American gratitude ceremony comes from Kahsto’sera’a Paulette Moore and Tehahenteh Frank Miller, members of the Rotinonhsyón:ni (Iroquois) nations:

“Indigenous descriptions of Earth connectedness may sound like a good idea – but the actual practice of connecting could prove elusive to those not raised in a culture that holds such relationships valuable. As members of Rotinonhsyón:ni League of Nations, we’ve been gifted a powerful ceremonial address called the Ohenton Karihwatehkwen – or the words that come before all others. This ceremony, given to us by Creator, becomes a map for us to become and remain profoundly connected to all that surrounds us and we offer these words every time we gather. The recitation can take hours while we acknowledge deep gratitude for our relatives – human and non-human – one by one. Gratitude is all we as Rotinonhsyón:ni are required by Creator to offer because it leads us naturally to actions necessary for us to survive and thrive.

Reciting the Ohenton Karihwatehkwen is different from a Biblical prayer or blessing in which human stewardship or management is often assumed over nature. After saying to the Earth, people, water, fish, grasses, medicines, roots, bugs, fruits, foods, trees, birds, Brother Sun, Grandmother Moon, winds, stars, thunders, sacred beings and Creator we utter the words “And now our minds are one.” When we reach out to our relatives in this way we create accountability by acknowledging that we honor each of them for their essential value. We establish reciprocity with other beings and in that sense we acknowledge and accept our own vulnerability. We depend on each other for our physical and spiritual survival.”

One version of these “words that come before all others” is the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address Greetings to the Natural World, which is animated for children in this video of the book Giving Thanks, and read in Haudenosaunee Onyota’a:ká: language here.

May your Fall Break be restorative and full of gratitude!

Bonus: Check out these beautiful coloring pages by illustrator Marlena Myles. Print, color and enjoy!