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Hi %%FIRST_NAME%%,
Welcome to your first week of Gratitude Activities For Kids!
I’m really looking forward to sharing the next ten weeks with you.
It’s not always easy, knowing how to get kids ‘into’ gratitude, without feeling like you’re trying to foce them to write thank you cards to mad Aunt Mabel, who sent them yet another reindeer jumper for Easter. So I have crafted this ten week course, packed with lovely gratitude ideas to help your family shift from stress and exhaustion to living a more heart-based, happier life. The activities will help children aged 5 to 105!
But – before we dive in – please make sure you’ll get the weekly emails!
The #1 query my team gets from people on our online courses is “Where did my emails go?”
We put a huge effort into making sure your messages arrive in the right place at the right time, but – alas – some email systems are simply too clever for us. Chances are, if you haven’t got a particular email, then it’ll be in a spam folder somewhere. Or your email provider might have helpfully (???!!) spot that my email address is new to you, so may have blocked my message, before it even reached you.
Luckily there’s a quick and easy way you can make sure your email provider knows that I’m friendly – and that you have asked me to contact you:
Please add hello@clarejosa.com to your email address book / whitelist / approved senders’ list.
That usually sorts things.
Whew! Now that’s done, let’s get started. 🙂
As a quick reminder, here’s what you’ll be getting over the next 10 weeks:
- A weekly email, with an inspirational child-friendly gratitude activity
- A weekly affirmation, to help you weave the gratitude practice into your daily routine
- Worksheets and cards for you to print out, to give you a head start with the activities (in the relevant weeks)
- Videos and MP3s, to guide you through key gratitude techniques
- A child-friendly gratitude relaxation MP3 (in week six) – ideal for listening to at bedtime
- Tips for adapting each week’s project for older or younger children – and even adults!
- Exclusive membership of our online community, with a friendly forum area, just for discussing this online course – so plenty of moral support and a chance to share your experiences with others.
Please note that this course is intended to be led by parents. It isn’t intended to be used by children unsupervised.
This week, we’re getting started with Gratitude Jars. This is an activity that kids love – and grown ups love, too. In fact, a gratitude jar starter kit even makes a lovely birthday present, in case you’re ever stuck for ideas for your children or their friends.
Getting Started With A Gratitude Jar
There’s something incredibly potent about putting things down on paper. Whether it’s writing, sketching or drawing a symbol, taking an idea from your mind and turning it into something tangible is like sending a huge message to the Universe: “I mean this!”
And that’s one of the many joys of a gratitude jar.
Here’s the basic idea:
- Grab a jar – fairly big. You’ll want to be able to put little things in it for at least a few months.
You can decorate it, if you like. Let the kids get creative – this is their jar, so let them choose what it looks like.
- Every few days, aim to write a short note to put in the jar with a few words on it about something they feel grateful for. It doesn’t have to be anything big – whatever comes to mind.
It doesn’t have to be words – a picture, sketch, photo, postcard or even a random thing like a button can be used. The main thing is that the idea comes from the child and that it means something to them.
- Whenever they’re having a bad day – or whenever they feel inspired, dive into the jar see how many things they have been feeling good about, over the year.
- When December 31st comes around, put some time aside to read through the messages in the jar and to experience what a wonderful year it has been.
- Then start another jar, next year. You could put the old one in a special place, to keep for future generations of ‘your family’!
Bonus! Printable Gratitude Jar Cards
We all know the feeling – sitting there with a blank piece of paper (or an empty gratitude jar) and inspiration dries up! So I have created a pack of ‘Gratitude Jar Cards’ for you and your kids, to help with prompts and ideas for what to write. You don’t have to use them, but you might find them useful.
The first page includes 9 cards, each with prompts to help your children think of things they feel grateful for. There’s space to write a note or draw a picture – or stick something from a magazine.
The second page includes blank cards, in case your kids would like to use these for their own ideas.
To download and print this PDF file, right click on this link (or the image to the right of here) and choose ‘save as’, to save the file to your computer. Then open it and you should be able to print it on whichever format paper your printer is using.
Adapting This Project For Older & Younger Children
This gratitude jar project is ideal for children between about 5 and 12.
For younger kids
Younger children may be able to draw a picture – you could use a larger piece of paper and fold it up.
Or they may find it easier to to use the ‘buttons’ or postcards idea, to put things in the jar to remind them of things they feel happy about.
For older kids
For teenagers through to adults, let them choose how to decorate and how to use this gratitude jar. I recommend it to clients and students of all ages. As long as your teens are allowed to do it ‘their way’, it will work for them.
Of course, being teens, they may be much more reluctant to share its contents with you, than younger kids would be!
Week 1 Affirmation
Affirmations can really help to let these gratitude work at a deeper level. They help to reduce any resistance in your unconscious mind and also to melt away any blocks or fears that might otherwise get in the way of experiencing the full benefit of the project. All of the affirmations that accompany this course are designed to be ‘kid-friendly’ – but they’ll work for grown ups, too 🙂
Week 1 Affirmation:
I love finding things to say ‘thank you’ for.
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Share The Journey
All of our weekly projects have a special discussion thread, over at our members-only online community.
This week, we’re sharing insights about our gratitude jars:
Did you need to use the cards? Or did your kids dive in and get started in their own way?
Did they just write and draw or have they used other ways to remind them of things they feel grateful for?
I’d love to hear from you. Any insights? Any questions? How did your kids react to the project? How might you remind them to keep at it?
Can you imagine how great it will feel to review what’s in their jar, in a few months’ time?
Here’s where to share your thoughts, over at the forum: www.clarejosa.com/forum/gratitude-activities-for-kids-1/week-1-gratitude-jars/
And if you’d like to post a photo of your kids’ gratitude jar, you can do so over at our Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/419116104846908/
I really hope you enjoy this week’s project.
I’d love to hear how you get on with it.
I’ll be back next week when we’ll be waving ‘magic wands’ to help kids think happier thoughts, even when they’re feeling grumpy!
I hope you have a great week.
Namaste,
P.S. Got any techy questions? Please email hello@clarejosa.com
P.P.S. Got any general gratitude questions or insights? Please let us know, over at the forum: www.clarejosa.com/forum/gratitude-activities-for-kids-1
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