Whether you are looking for how to unspoil a child fast enough or keen on gratitude activities for kids, the subject of raising a child is a crucial one and must be handled as such. More importantly, is how to raise a grateful child instead of a complaining one.
The society we live in today has deteriorated, so much that children no longer have regard for their parents. It’s even worse with the effects social media is generating.
Many children get depressed when they see their friends getting things that they can’t get presently. Going through social media handles, children see fascinating things that they want to get so bad and pressure their parents as a result.
The effect of this certainly would be complaints. These children will be ungrateful to their parents because of their inability to get them what they want so badly. This, amongst many other factors, is responsible for the turnout of complaining children. But, in this article, I’ll be sharing with you effective ways to raise a grateful child, rather than a complaining one.
You may even be asking, “How do you raise a grateful child in an entitled world?” Quite simple and I’ve shared most of it below, but there’s one; Proper and early orientation. The proper way of bringing up a child to be a grateful one lies in the orientation and exposure of the parents.
Many parents have raised their children out of ignorance resulting in the rebirth of ungrateful ones. This often has a great negative impact.
To escape this ordeal, you’ve got to read my solutions till the end and learn how to raise a grateful child. Let’s take it further as we see these 30 ways and you’ll be glad you did.
How to Raise a Grateful Child in 3 Effective Ways
Talking about raising a grateful child, you’ve got to understand that there are certain things you need to put in place. In bringing up your child to be grateful, you need to follow this article that contains the 3 effective ways to raise a grateful child in the 21st century.
You would agree with me that things have changed. We are now in the 21st century where there’s a push-button for everything. Everybody wants everything now, and the inability to get it leads to frustration.
How do I teach my teen to be grateful? Sound orientation will help you. Don’t skip this important section in this article. This could be what you need to know on how to raise grateful children. Let’s dive in quickly!
1. Being there at integral points in their life: It is generally believed that kids remember and don’t forget things easily, especially things that happened to them at a tender age. There are some critical points in the life of a child that needs parental support and moral orientation.
The parents have to see to it accordingly that the child in question must be properly catered for. One of the effective ways to raise a grateful child is being there at integral points of the child’s life. When you’re there for your child at critical junctions, he’ll naturally be appreciative. This is one of the 3 ways to raise a grateful child.
2. Learn to journal things you’re grateful for: This may sound eccentric but research has proven it to be one of the effective ways to raise a grateful child. Do you want to know what that is? It’s journaling. Earlier I talked about proper orientation in upbringing, and I also emphasized educating your child on the practice of appreciation.
The second thing you must know on how to raise a grateful child is the practice of journaling things you’re grateful for.
You can do this with your child every night before bed… Get a journal and write down things you’re grateful for in your family, nature, and how your day went.
Do this alongside your child or children. Trust me, as you do this consistently, you’ll be building up your child to be grateful even in the worst situation because there’ll always be something to be grateful for.
Try this and give me feedback!
3. Serve as good examples: Most of the behaviors displayed by your child were emulated from you, the parent. A means of raising a child to be a grateful one is through the characters shown in both parents.
The same way smoking parents are likely to raise a child who smokes; ungrateful parents are likely to raise ungrateful children. So what do you do? Be grateful to your spouse as a parent; appreciate your child’s school grade, and be grateful to God for the weather.
Children notice these things. The more they see your expressions of gratitude, the more they inculcate the habit. Try this third effective way to raise a grateful child, and you’ll be amazed at what the outcome will be.
How to Raise a Grateful Child in an Entitled World
To properly raise your child in the present world we live in, you’ve got to be so determined because it’s a herculean task. Is it even possible to raise a grateful child in the world we’ve found ourselves? How do you raise a grateful child in an entitled world? Firstly, it’s very possible to raise a grateful child in this entitled world, and below are the steps to make it possible.
I’ve prepared this compilation with effective tips that’ll show you how to raise a grateful child in an entitled world. At this point, I can only tell you to read till the end. Follow me as we look into these highly effective ways to raise a grateful child.
4. Proper Enlightenment: Enlightenment is a powerful means of raising a grateful child in an entitled world. Proper enlightenment of your child would make him stand out in life. Let the child know what life is composed of; let him know of the good and bad sides.
Let your child know that in life you do things at your pace and you don’t compare yourself to others. They should learn to appreciate what they have, work hard, and at the same time exercise patience.
When you give them this great advice about what life is, they tend to make use of it and act accordingly later in life. Teach them the importance of saying “thank you” not only to you but to God as this is the real symbol of being grateful.
It is believed that proper orientation is the basic unit of enlightenment for kids. It also shows them ways by which they can contribute to society in the future.
Educating your child on the need for appreciation is necessary. This will enlighten the child on the subject of appreciation and will instill the act in the long run. This is one of the effective ways to raise a grateful child.
5. The show of concern, care, and protection: When you care about something, it means it holds value to you and you are ready to protect it with all you’ve got. This applies to your children, they should be well cared for and protected. They should be highly valued, and this is only possible when you show love to them.
When love is shown, there is an intimacy between the parents and the child and this often makes kids confess what they are passing through and how to help them out. All these things add up to the grateful memories of the child thereby becoming grateful for the kind of parents God’s given.
It’s potent and one of the effective ways to raise a grateful child rather than a complaining one. Try it.
6. Instill discipline: The power of discipline cannot be lightly esteemed. In such a world as ours, with so many vices and teenage exorbitant, discipline has always served right. Whether you’re from Queen’s, The United States, or anywhere in the world, disciplining your child makes him grateful in the long run.
Children always want to have their way, and most times, it hurts them in the end. When you as a parent, seeing the end result, can discipline your child out of such an act, he’ll naturally be grateful for that. Discipline works oftentimes and is part of the effective ways to raise a grateful child.
7. Engage them: Although this may sound ineffective, only the result will prove otherwise. Engaging your children with chores will help them to understand what it is to be responsible. This process will guard against entitlement in your kids.
Some children get everything they want without putting in some effort, and this has made them become entitled and hence, ungrateful. Try to engage your children in little house chores like laundry. It’s a sure and best way to raise a grateful child.
8. Teach them to be givers: On the contrary to what’s like the order of the day in the world, giving helps one to overcome being ungrateful. You can only be grateful if you see reasons to be.
When you teach your children to give to those who have less than what they have, they’ll naturally be grateful for having what they have.
It’s a one-million-dollar hack. It works all the time. If you want to learn the incredible ways to raise a grateful child in an entitled world, you’ve got to teach them giving.
9. Teach them to be committed financially to the family: This certainly looks alien in some families; teaching their children to contribute to the family’s finances. This doesn’t suggest that they must work.
You can teach your children to contribute to the family’s finances even from the dollars you give them. This could be saving to buy a mug or just anything.
If you instill this sense of responsibility in them at a younger age, they’ll be more responsible when they are older. Know what? They’ll not be among the ungrateful ones. Practice this among many other sincere ways to raise a grateful child, and wait for the blessings.
10. Go on vacations to see another side of the world: Kids have to see another side of the world and understand that they are in a better situation. This will help them to appreciate you as a parent. Going on vacations to places like Africa can turn on an appreciation switch in them.
Some others take their kids on vacation to visit the home of the less privileged. You should also try this. It’ll help them realize that you’re doing so much for them to not end up without their basic needs.
Kristen Welch, the author of Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, spoke about the transformation that happened to her when she visited the largest slum in the world.
11. Count your miracles: When we are aware of little miracles in our lives, we automatically become grateful for them. Getting up in the morning, rushing off to work, and getting back home after work is little miracles we should be grateful for.
Just like the bible advised when you count your blessings alongside your children and show gratitude in worship, you’re teaching them to be grateful children as well. Do this and those above. They are sure steps on how to raise a grateful child.
12. Spend quality time together: You may be asking, ‘quality time for what?’ I’ll tell you. In this world where everybody seems busy, you must make out time for your kids to share beautiful memories together. You can do many things; teach them what the scripture says about gratitude, teach them basic dishes, and let them try cooking.
You’ll never get the time until you create it. These activities will help them to appreciate you as a parent. Do it often and you’ll see the gratefulness in action. I can’t wait to hear your story.
How to Teach a Spoiled Child Appreciation
Teaching becomes hard when you are not doing whatever it is you’re teaching. To know how to teach a spoiled child appreciation, you’ve got to be someone who appreciates even the littlest things. Whether it’s your spouse, your pastor, or friends, when you show appreciation to them for their presence in your life, you’ve passed the mark to then teach your kids.
How do I teach my teen to be grateful? Show gratitude yourself and this will suffice. In the following post, I’ll show you some other tips on the inspiring ways to raise a grateful child. Let’s get into it.
13. Spot out ungrateful actions: That being said on passing the mark to teach your child, you must then step further to spot out ungrateful actions in your child.
Now, you have to be careful not to use the wrong language, rather raise awareness. For instance, if your child complains about not getting enough time to play with other kids after returning from the fun place, don’t raise your voice. Instead, make him understand that you sacrificed time to drive him off to the place and bring him back.
This will help such a child to think over and become remorseful. Hence, apologize and end up with a grateful heart.
14. Teach them to understand other people’s feelings: Kids need to start learning to understand how their actions can affect other people’s feelings. You can teach this through the movies they watch. Use every avenue to teach your child empathy.
Maybe your child grimaced at you after complaining of not getting a bike or something else, you can make such a child understand how that hurts your feeling. Make him understand that you’re working tirelessly to make that happen and that because he hasn’t seen it doesn’t mean it’s not coming.
When you do this, he’ll feel sorry for you. Next time, he’ll want to know if you’re working towards his request rather than speak ungratefully because he now understands. Try this and other tips on how to raise a grateful child.
15. Put a reward system in place for the right attitude: Everyone loves to get a reward. Setting up a reward system for good behavior will help curtail ingratitude in your child. When next your child requests a toy or an opportunity to have fun, tie it to good behavior. Be careful not to confuse it with a bribe.
A bribe is giving them a toy to compel them to behave well, but a reward is giving them a toy to reward them for behaving well.
When you do this, you put an automatic attitude check in him and help him curtail bad behaviors. This is a crucial tip in this article on effective ways to raise a grateful child. Try it!
16. Say NO: Saying no doesn’t entail depriving them of their basic needs. It’s simply a system to delay gratification. This will help your child to become grateful in the long run. Delay getting him that toy, that video game, or saying yes to that vacation.
Children lose their sense of gratitude when they get everything they ask for. Try delaying requests and gratifications. It works effectively, and it’s one of the effective ways to raise a grateful child.
17. Display gratitude: Aside from what I said earlier about being someone who shows appreciation, you can also create the habit of talking about gratitude at bedtimes with your children. This act reshapes the mind of your child and kicks out every sense of entitlement.
Since children easily pick the attitude displayed by their parents, displaying gratitude often time will teach your child about it faster.
18. Set boundaries with choices: I’ll tell you how this works. Since you’re trying to help a spoiled child become unspoiled, set boundaries with choices. It’s called the, “When…. then….” technique. For instance, when they become glued to their phone so much, take it and give it back to them until they complete a certain task.
This will not only help curb their wrong attitude, but it’ll also build a sense of responsibility in them, not necessarily ownership.
19. Teach them emotional hacks: Children tend to display scary emotions this minute and a delightful one the next minute. Teaching them some emotional hacks like, “I need some time to think” may sound funny, but works in the long run.
When your child is a spoilt one, you should expect this. To un-spoil such a child, you’ll also be the one to teach this. These emotional hacks help them identify bad emotions and deal with them. Practice this among many others on how to teach gratitude to a teenager or a child.
20. Pray with them: To un-spoil your child and teach him appreciation, pray with him. If he doesn’t know the practice, start with him. Prayer is a refining process for the one who prays. Teach your child to first pray for everything they want, and when they get it, teach them to also appreciate God first.
When they learn to pray, they appreciate God every day for everything worth appreciating God for. This eventually makes them good and grateful kids. I’m sure you want this for your child, so don’t hesitate to try these beautiful tips on how to raise a grateful child.
21. Be consistent: You aren’t going to try these tips out just once and stop. The tips above only work when you’re consistently practicing them. To un-spoil your child, you’re just less than nine steps to that but doing these repeatedly is key.
That being said, I’ll advise that you write out these tips, place them on a wall in your bedroom and remind yourself of them always. The tips in this article on effective ways to raise a grateful child have worked and are still working.
How to Teach Your Children to Appreciate what they Have
When it comes to teaching children the values they must uphold, it’s necessary for you as a parent to not skip teaching them this. You need to know how to teach your children to appreciate what they have.
That being said, how do I teach my teen to be grateful? You can do this by systematically withholding a routine. I do not mean that you should starve them literally. Here’s what I mean, don’t cook every night; don’t drive him to school always. The thing is, people generally appreciate what they don’t get often.
Do you want to learn the effective ways to raise a grateful child so that they can appreciate what they have? Then you’ve got to take to all I say in the following steps below. Take some more scrolls downwards and see these steps.
22. Point out what they should appreciate: As parents that want to teach children to appreciate what they have, you have to point out those things that they should appreciate. This is where it all begins. During the season of abundance, you may tend to overlook many things and the experiences that your child should be grateful for because they cost you.
Helping your child to see beyond the beautiful school, vacations, and travels, you’ve got to point out the cost to them, and the reason they should appreciate it. This is the first step in learning the effective ways to raise a grateful child.
When you do this, you’re setting up your child to realize the cost dimension of whatever fun comes by. Learn this and your child will appreciate even the littlest things.
23. Learn to appreciate their little efforts: This is crucial and many parents overlook this. If you’re all over the place looking for how to teach your child to appreciate everything, and you don’t appreciate them for the little things they do, then that’s bad enough.
Children aren’t entirely bad, even the ones who seem bad. Many times, they do good stuff to show their parents. Good stuff like washing the dishes. Learn to appreciate these little things. They tend to make up for the big things. When you do this, teaching them to appreciate other things wouldn’t seem too difficult.
It’s part of the gratitude activities for kids. Appreciate them!
24. Help them see that “People don’t always get what they want:” Sounds interesting? But it sure works. Teaching your kids the unfairness of life helps them realize early that you simply don’t wish for things but work for them. And you help them by not getting them all they ever ask for.
You can also do this by playing the little kid while they assume the adult position. It’s simple. Tell them of the things you wish you had as a parent and let them tell you if you’re able to have them. “LOL,” I’m sure you’re laughing out loud now.
Children become more appreciative when they know that life isn’t fair to anyone. When they know that even their parent can’t get all they wish for. Try these steps in this article on how to raise a grateful child rather than a spoilt one, and let me know which worked first.
25. Let them share what they have: Appreciation can also come when you get to share what you think is little. Children suddenly develop a sense of appreciation when they get to help out a friend in school with what they’ve got in excess. This sense of appreciation towards their parent is born naturally when you teach them to share.
Sharing is a show of love, and it can be done in various ways. Teach them to share in school. Go on vacations to the home of the less privileged; teach them to help older people. All these definitely add up to helping such a child become appreciative.
Practice this consistently among many other tips to raise a grateful child. As earlier said, this works only when you do them consistently.
26. Build in them a strong work ethic: Helping your children build a sound work ethic not only pays you in the long run but also helps them to appreciate anything money can buy. Give them a simple task like throwing away the trash, filling the dishwasher, and even cleaning the car.
For a thing, it’s not bad to give your children these tasks. When you do this and they understand that you have to work hard to provide for them, they’ll even appreciate your “no.”
27. Give real-life examples: Giving children real-life examples that you’re grateful for can help them relate quickly if they find themselves in such situations. Start from the basics. Tell them how you get up every morning and thank God for a new day, or how you get back from work and can cook, for which you’re grateful.
These can be done anytime. Many families prefer doing this at dinner or during a family devotion (If you have such in your family; it’s also a good time).
28. Read books that teach appreciation: Reading these types of books with your kids will help them learn to appreciate what they have. Read the stories to them, and be sure to give a detailed explanation and the benefits of appreciation. Your child will surely understand.
29. Don’t grimace: This is just in a bit to say be patient. Exercising patience with kids can’t be overlooked. These steps will eventually work, but when the results haven’t started showing, try to be patient. When after you’ve taught your child and he still does otherwise, try to be patient.
Don’t grimace, don’t yell at all times. The last tip in this article on how to raise a grateful child is just right below… Don’t skip it.
30. Teach them to say ‘thank you:’ Children need to learn to say thank you, first to you as their parent and then to everyone who has helped them. You’ll have to teach them to say thank you even after serving them their meal, after taking them to school, and after every other thing.
Children must be taught to give respect and appreciation by saying, “thank you.” Now, go back and write out these nine steps of highly effective ways to raise a grateful child and practice them till you see the change you desire.
Raising a child can be hard work. However, it’s one that you can’t avoid as a parent. Follow the steps above on how to raise a grateful child and you can be assured that your child will be part of the grateful ones. Do well to share with friends and loved ones. Kindly leave your feedback in the comment section below.
