Encouraging Gratitude in the Classroom

So much power exists in expressing gratitude. Focusing on the positives, can be transformational. Of course, we will always experience a range of emotions, but we still choose our mindset. It’s helpful to process emotions and work through challenges, but through practicing gratitude, we become more resilient in our thinking.

The same goes for our students. I would never recommend dismissing emotions or the struggles anyone is going through. It’s extremely important that we provide the appropriate level of support for every learner. However, we can encourage gratitude in the classroom to help wire the brain to think more positively. The more we practice and express gratitude, the more likely we are to default our thinking to positive thoughts as opposed to negative.

The word “gratitude” has a number of different meanings, depending on the context. However, a practical clinical definition is as follows—gratitude is the appreciation of what is valuable and meaningful to oneself; it is a general state of thankfulness and/or appreciation. 

Randy A. Sansone, MD and Lori A. Sansone, MD

When our classroom culture is supportive and encouraging, learners are more confident to take responsible risks such as, trying something new, contributing to a conversation, sharing their ideas or strategies, or even challenging the thinking of others in a respectful manner. Classroom culture is the foundation to promote deeper thinking and learning. Expressing gratitude contributes to the classroom culture as learners begin to recognize the little things in life that are positive. The practice itself contributes to the development of a growth mindset. The hope is that as learners begin to think more positively, they also develop a deeper belief in their abilities, too.

We can encourage gratitude in the classroom in many ways. Although the months of November is known as the month of gratitude, I encourage you to promote the practice of expressing gratitude year round to yield the greatest effect on classroom culture and foster positive thinking.

A study conducted by Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, reveals that cultivating gratitude can increase happiness levels by around 25 percent. It can also cause individuals to live happier, more satisfied lives and enjoy increased levels of self-esteem, hope, empathy and optimism. Other studies have shown that kids who practice grateful thinking have more positive attitudes toward school and family.

-Andrea Reiser 11 Tips for Instilling Gratitude in Your Kids

Activities to Encourage Gratitude in the Classroom

Bulletin Board: Dedicate a bulletin board in your classroom to celebrate your learners and encourage them to celebrate one another, too. Leave strips of paper or Post It Notes out so that students and teachers can give shout-outs, expressing gratitude for others in the classroom. Depending on your current classroom culture or ages of your learners, you may want to provide sentence stems to guide individuals in the right direction. Something as simple as: I’m grateful for _____because they_____. Or, Today I celebrate_____ because they_____.

Gratitude Jar: Create a jar and encourage learners to write on strips of paper and share what they’re grateful for, similar to the bulletin board concept. However, with the gratitude jar, it can be done throughout the entire school year. Then at the closure of the year, take the strips out to read and reflect upon. Since all notes of gratitude were placed in the jar, they come as a nice surprise to others. It’s such a great way to celebrate all of the great things that have occurred throughout the school year! Another idea is that instead of waiting until the end of the school year, you could read their gratitude statements at the end of each week or month to reflect and celebrate more frequently.

Notes of Thanks: Who are you and your learners thankful for? Everyone appreciates recognition for their hard work or kind deeds. Writing notes of gratitude to those in our school is a great way to enhance school culture. To begin, brainstorm individually or as a class those who may help us every day at school. Supply the materials and support learners with how to write a letter to someone they’re grateful for. Additionally, learners can write notes of thanks to members of their family, friends, neighbors, or to those in their community who they want to thank for making a difference. Acknowledging the good that others do, uplifts and add values to others.

Reflection Activities: We can start each day with a grateful heart by reflecting on who or what we are thankful for. Engage learners in reflection by having them list what they’re thankful for. Or, as a closure activity for the end of the day, have students engage in gratitude journaling. Encouraging learners to quietly reflect and express gratitude helps foster the practice of positive thinking.

Random Acts of Kindness: Carve out an even greater portion of time and facilitate centers to create random acts of kindness. Creating meaningful tokens to express gratitude to others is a terrific way to celebrate and uplift. Centers might include letter writing, rock painting, writing positive and uplifting messages on Post It Notes to inspire others (to be placed around the school), creating a gratitude mural, or even mini-videos that can be created and edited to communicate all that learners are grateful for to their school, families, and community.

Encouraging learners to express gratitude magnifies positive thinking. While we’re supporting our learners to express gratitude, it’s equally important that we are intentional about expressing gratitude in return. We are their role models, and the more we thank our learners and share what we’re thankful for, the more it becomes part of the classroom and/or school culture. This year, instead of focusing on all of the challenges we’re presented and feeling bogged down with stress, let’s strive to recognize what’s going well. It’s healthy and transformational for both us and our learners. Yes, challenges may mean that we have to engage in crucial conversations or that we might need to help offer solutions to problems, but I don’t know of any situation that has ever improved simply by griping. If you’re interested in expressing more gratitude yourself, you may be interested in reading, The Power of Gratitude.

Education is human centered–– it’s one of the most rewarding professions and it’s an honor to be an educator. I have so much myself to express gratitude for just within the field of education. From the lessons my learners have taught me, to the collaboration and learning from colleagues, the list really could go on and on. Each time I cross paths with a past student or a family member of theirs, I’m reminded of the impact I have had. Every day, we choose the impact we want to have. What will be yours?

YOU are making an impact. YOU are shaping our youth, and YOU can be the difference in their lives.