15+ Ways To Teach Gratitude To Students (FAQs)

Developing and maintaining a heart of gratitude is a characteristic that can make the world a better place.

The more grateful we are for the things people do for us and the things we enjoy, the better lives we will tend to live.

Teaching students how to show gratitude can have a hugely helpful effect on their lives.

This article will discuss several ways you can teach students about gratitude in detail, which can improve their lifestyle, make them kinder, and enable them to be better people.

What is Gratitude?

Feeling grateful is just one of many good emotions. This means that we should give more thought to the positive aspects of our lives and count our blessings.

From the Latin word “gratus,” which means “pleasant” or “thankful,” we get the English words “gratitude,” “thankfulness,” and “gratefulness.”

A moment of gratitude involves taking stock of the many blessings in one’s life, such as shelter, sustenance, water, companionship, and technology.

NB: Being grateful means taking a moment to reflect on the many blessings in one’s life, including shelter, sustenance, water, companionship, and technology.

Different Ways To Teach Gratitude To Students

1. The use of words of gratitude

Some powerful words and phrases can be used to depict gratitude.

For example, while “thank you” is only two words, it is a quick and powerful way to express gratitude.

You can teach students to be more thankful and to express gratitude by encouraging them to use words of gratitude at all points in their lives.

Mastering the habit of saying the words consistently will help them always to be grateful.

2. Keep a daily gratitude journal

You can also teach students to be grateful by encouraging them to keep a daily gratitude journal.

A daily gratitude journal is more of a summary of what they have been grateful for since they woke up that day.

Pondering over the things they are grateful for can massively enhance their joy.

It will also enable them to recall the things that happened to them during the day for which they should be thankful.

Moreover, encouraging students to keep a daily gratitude journal makes them aware of the people they should show gratitude to for what they did for them that day.

3. Write gratitude notes

You can also teach students gratitude by encouraging them to draft gratitude notes.

Ask them to send a “thank you note,” which must be brief but touching, to any person in their area of residence, their loved one, or even a religious center, expressing gratitude to him or her for what they did for them in the past.

If a student argues that no one has done something outstanding for them, tell them to reflect on the little things and write a note of gratitude to those people who facilitated those moments.

Instilling in them the spirit of showing gratitude will motivate them to be kind to people.

4. Exhibit an attitude of gratitude

Life does not always work out the way we want it to.

Sometimes, it can turn out so badly that we become very sad and moody.

Regardless of what your students face daily, you can teach them about gratitude by asking them to list some of the most pressing complaints they have about life in general and teaching them what they can be grateful for despite the negative event.

For instance, if you have a male student who dislikes the fact that he has to wake up to go to school by as early as 5 a.m. because his dad is working far away from home and he has to drop him off at school early so he can meet up for work, you can let him see the bright side of the fact that leaving their house with their dad early actually helps him get to school on time and settle down well before the activities of the day commence.

5. Read books about gratitude

If you are teaching a class of elementary students, you can teach them about gratitude by encouraging them to read books about it.

You can encourage them to read books about “thankfulness” and “gratefulness,” of which many are out there.

You also teach them how to be grateful by using books on “generosity” as one of the focuses of the English Literature class.

6. Watch movies on gratitude

You can also teach students how to show gratitude by encouraging them to watch movies showing gratitude’s importance and how gratitude can play a key role in transforming human lives.

However, this can work effectively if you are dealing with kids in elementary school.

Encouraging them to watch movies that show gratitude and even going as far as streaming one or two of these movies when they are in class will allow them to picture what it means to be grateful adequately and work towards that.

7. Generate a gratitude collage

You can encourage students to develop the habit of being grateful by encouraging them to generate a collage made with pictures and book cuttings of people, locations, and things they are thankful for.

For instance, if a student is grateful for the family that he or has, you can encourage him or her to create a photo book that contains several images of his family members and some of the nicest moments that he or she has shared with them.

8. Take a gratitude nature walk

You can also encourage students to be grateful by motivating them to take a gratitude walk, maybe around a nature park, to see some of the wonders of nature that they don’t even realize exist.

Encouraging students to embark on a gratitude nature walk is a technique for enabling them to be aware of what is going on around them and an excellent way to teach gratitude to them.

9. Develop gratitude symbols

Students can learn to be grateful if you demand that they come up with a symbol that depicts thankfulness and can act as a personal reminder to encourage them to maintain the culture of being thankful even in their most difficult moments. 

10. Show some love                         

Students can learn to be thankful and show gratitude by showing love to someone who is struggling with life as a whole.

You can encourage them to make it a duty to show love to that one person in their area who lives on the street and has no clothes to wear and barely even food to eat.

You can also demand that they try to help someone in their neighborhood who is struggling with one form of issue or another.

When they see what others are going through to survive, they will surely be more grateful.

11. Volunteer

You can also teach students gratitude by encouraging them to sign up for NGOs.

Besides the fact that volunteering will boost their social capacities and resume, getting to help out the homeless and those in need will help them stay humble and remain grateful for the good life they are enjoying.

12. Talk about what they are grateful for

You can also teach students to be grateful and to show gratitude by encouraging them to share the moments that they experienced during the day that they are grateful for before they retreat to bed.

This way, they will learn to go to sleep with a sense of gratitude and wake up still feeling grateful, which will help them have a better day and sustain a good attitude throughout the rest of the day.

13. Compliment people

Sustaining the habit of throwing compliments at people is a nice way to live.

This is the same for students still in school, as it will not just make them be perceived as being nice but also help them display their gratitude towards someone.

So, if you are a teacher, your students can easily learn about gratitude if you continuously tell them what you love about them.

That way, it will also be easier for them to accept criticism whenever you have one for them.

14. Generate a family gratitude list

You can also teach students gratitude by encouraging them to develop a list of the things that all the members of their family are grateful for over the day.

This list will not only help them feel thankful, especially after reading what their relative must have written, but it will also keep them up to date on how their loved one’s days went.

They can position the family gratitude list where all family members can easily reach it to make their contributions.

15. Gift someone

Students can also learn how to show gratitude if they develop the quality of gifting someone who has done something for them.

They don’t need to buy the person a fortune, but giving the person a gift, no matter how small, can go a long way to encourage them to be thankful for what the person has done for them.

16. Overcome jealousy

Jealousy is one major factor that hinders students’ ability to be grateful.

Assisting a student to become less jealous about their achievements and instead work towards their goals will enable them to be thankful for everything they enjoy and develop the spirit of empathy.

How To Excel Academically With Gratitude

Students can also show gratitude for getting a chance to study at a school by graduating with excellent grades.

So, if you’re a teacher, here are some things you should tell your students to help them do well in school:

1. Write down notes in class

You can encourage your students to excel academically by ensuring that they all take good notes whenever you are in class.

Even though they are looking at images on a TV screen or your lesson notes are offered to them over slides, ensure that every student in your class has a pen and paper with them to take note of all the important points dropped in class.

Students actively participate better when they take notes in class.

Also, taking notes in class will help them easily remember points, enabling them to have the best grades in their exams.

2. Ask questions about unclear areas

As a teacher, always encourage your students to ask questions consistently in areas that are unclear to them.

Don’t end any session without making time for the questions and answers.

Don’t jump into any new topic if you haven’t answered enough questions about what you taught your students in the previous lesson.

It will enable you to carry them along, and their understanding will improve.

3. Participate in competitions

Always encourage all your students to participate in competitions that are meant for their level, especially if they meet the requirements.

Except in a few cases where you must select the best students to represent the school, ensure that everyone has access to the details of any competition intended for students in their grade level.

This way, your students will have a sense of belonging, motivating them to improve and do well in your classes.

4. Set up a good study schedule

Talk to your students about the importance of using a study schedule to read.

Start from the very first day in class to hammer home the message of how well they can excel in their academics if they learn to manage their time well and cut down all distractions.

Furthermore, once they arrive at school every day, you can ask each of them, if possible, what they did after school and even reward those who have provided sufficient evidence that they are following your advice.

It will encourage others to follow suit.

5. Connect with other students

As a teacher, besides teaching students gratitude, it is your responsibility to ensure that the students who find it hard to connect and interrelate with others get to stimulate their social abilities and feel free to relate with people.

This is necessary because students with good social abilities always tend to do well in class because they don’t shy away from asking questions, no matter how foolish they sound. They are always willing to visit teachers in their offices to obtain clarity on problem areas.

So, as a teacher, you can enable your students to excel academically by boosting their social abilities.

Breaking them into groups when you are giving them a project will allow the quiet ones to express themselves better, which is good for their academic progress.

6. Always turn in their homework on time

Your students can excel academically if you motivate them to do their homework and turn it in before the deadline.

One of the most common ways to inspire your students to do their homework is by attaching marks.

Moreover, you can reward those that consistently do their homework and also set punishments for those that don’t, such as denying them the opportunity to engage in their favorite extracurricular activity.

Homework helps boost the understanding of students.

7. Study everyday

Always hammer home the importance of studying to your students. Make your students see why they must read their books daily.

You can also go far by introducing some helpful study techniques to your students to enable them to study effectively.

Getting your students to study consistently and effectively will make your job as a teacher easy, as their understanding abilities will be massively enhanced.

8. Make use of available online and offline resources

Tell your students how offline resources such as the library available at school can enable them to study effectively.

Besides the fact that libraries have lots of books that people need to read, they are one of the best places to read due to their quiet reading atmosphere that is free of all distractions.

Moreover, encourage your students to use the internet to get extra resources that will sharpen their understanding.

But tell them not to use the internet for things like streaming pornographic content, which wastes their time and can also hurt their minds.

9. Consult teachers for inquiries

As a teacher, you must encourage your students to meet with you to discuss areas they don’t understand.

Get your students to know that you are committed to their academic progress and are there to offer them all the help they need to succeed academically.

10. Study with one another

Another academic success secret you can encourage your students to adhere to is studying with one another in a group.

Group study will enable them to stay motivated and avoid all forms of procrastination.

Moreover, group study has a massive impact on students because they can get to ask questions to one another, which will boost their memory.

They will also get the opportunity to exchange ideas on how they can scale through challenging areas of the class.

11. Create a good balance between their extracurriculars and school work

Engaging in one form of extracurricular and others can help your student very well.

However, focusing more on extracurriculars than academics will only result in poor academic performance.

So, as a teacher, ensure that your students indulge in any extracurriculars until they adequately complete their academic duties.

It will motivate them to sit up and strive for excellence.

12. Get sufficient rest

Always hammer home to your students the importance of gaining sufficient rest.

Let them understand that a lack of rest can lead to a mental breakdowns and will also hinder them from performing well in class.

Advise them to sleep for at least 7 hours every night and to avoid staying up late, especially if they are not reading.

Taking sufficient rest fuels the body and reenergizes the brain for enhanced performance.

Frequently Asked Questions On How To Teach Gratitude To Students

Conclusion

The world would be a better place if more people developed and practiced an attitude of gratitude.

The more grateful we are for the good that others have done for us and the good we have experienced, the happier and more fulfilled our lives will be.

It can have a profoundly positive impact on students’ development if they are taught to practice gratitude.

If you’re a teacher, you can use the strategies in this article to help your students develop an attitude of gratitude, which has been shown to positively affect health, relationships, and overall happiness.

By giving them the tips in this article, you can also encourage them to do well in school, which is another way they can show their appreciation.

Awesome one; I hope this article answers your question.

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