5 Things You Should Teach Your Kids This Thanksgiving
Every year families celebrate Thanksgiving Day. This wonderful holiday creates warm and kind-hearted family atmosphere in every corner of the country. This meaningful day is a nice occasion and opportunity to gather all your family members and enjoy the taste of a Thanksgiving turkey.
Thanksgiving Day teaches every citizen of the country to be kind, generous and grateful, especially on this day. The history of our ancestors proves that miracles often happen to those people who work hard and don’t forget to express gratitude to the world around. We should realize it and hand down this great wisdom from generation to generation.
The level of children’s cultural and moral development depends on the parents’ upbringing style. I think that Thanksgiving turkey and other tasty dishes aren’t enough. Parents should help their kids to feel the spirit of the holiday and understand what they celebrate on Thanksgiving. Here are five most important things you should teach your children this Thanksgiving.
1 To be grateful
The priority of many people is to bring up thankful and well-bred children. I think that those children who have a deep sense of gratitude have more chances to find harmony and reach more goals in this challenging world. Gratitude will help them feel the responsibility and value everything they gain or already have in life. When I was a child, my mom taught me to read a prayer of thanksgiving before eating my meal. I expressed my gratitude for everything my family had.
Moreover, every Thanksgiving Day, I wrote gratitude letters to my grandparents and to my best friends. I’m an adult now, but this little habit or tradition has remained in my heart. I’m sure my future children will also write gratitude letters to their dearest people.
2 To be generous
Generosity is a great feeling. Thanks to God’s generosity we still live and enjoy the amenities of a civilized world. Children should also know what generosity is and understand that the shoulder of their friend can help them go through hard times one day.
If your kids are grateful, instead of just telling stories about your acts of kindness and generosity, prove and show your children what it really means to be generous. Ask your kids to collect the clothes they don’t like or need and go to the orphan’s home to present the orphans with clothes. This action will teach your children to do good and generous deeds without return or recognition.
Read also – 7 Creative Ways to Give Thanks This Thanksgiving
3 To believe in good
Explain to your children that life consists of constant ups and downs. Only the sense of optimism and faith in good can help us stay positive. Those people whose hearts are filled with faith don’t fear to live, overcome barriers and move to the top.
My grandpa, as the oldest and the wisest member of the whole family, liked to inspire and invigorate us by telling different edifying parables and stories. He always got ready to this holiday, because he wanted to broaden our horizons. Now I realize that the words and the stories told by my dear grandfather played an essential role in the process of my personal development. They’ve made me mature and self-confident person who believes in happy and positive end. This Thanksgiving Day, it’s my turn to teach my little sister and nephews the same things.
4 To be hard-working
Thanksgiving Day is the most suitable time to teach and motivate your kids to be hard-working. Only hard work, courage and the heroic steadfastness of our ancestors helped them bear severe frosts and find a colony. They cultivated the land from morning till night. Teach your kids that total inaction brings nothing except problems and despair. Parents should accustom their kids to hardship. It doesn’t mean that they should work like slaves, but take active participation in the family life. Ask them to help their grandparents and do other useful things. Don’t let the spirit of laziness conquer their minds.
This Thanksgiving Day you can try a new activity with your children. You may go to a local park or green zone and plant a new tree. Ask your friend to give your child one or two dollars for this work. Let your kid start to work and understand what it means to earn money. It will be a good lesson for your child. They’ll know that hard work is the only key to success and prosperity.
5 Teach them to love
Love, respect and gratitude are the main feelings that help all members of your family stay together. Children should accept that the world becomes dark, cruel and poor without love. This day parents and grandparents should act like role models for their children. Their unity and mutual understanding can teach the children to value every minute spent together with their family. Ask grandparents to tell your kids the love story of their life.
Nowadays it’s very difficult to ignore the criticism and the prejudices of the mind. We are often afraid of falling in love due to the influence of the modern world’s wrong beliefs and public opinions. Teach your kids to love purely and use the values and traditions of their ancestors when deciding to create a new family.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It unites people and families, teaches us and our children to honor the history of our country. Try to use some new and fresh ideas on how to celebrate the holiday in an interesting and active way. You can involve both children and adults in games and different educational and entertaining activities. Make this wondrous holiday a sacred tradition of your big family. What else should children learn from this holiday? Do you agree that such holidays play an important role in the development of your child? Share your thoughts, please!
