--- title: Five Ways to Celebrate World Gratitude Day with Your Family description: "September 21, 2020 is #WorldGratitudeDay! To help you celebrate, we're sharing a list of things you can do with your children." image: https://blogs.shipleyschool.org/hubfs/2020-09-16-World-Gratitude-Day.jpg --- - - [![ShipleySchool](https://blogs.shipleyschool.org/hubfs/TheShipleySchool-May-2017/Images/Shipley_Vertical-Logo.png)](https://blogs.shipleyschool.org) [![Schedule a visit.](https://blogs.shipleyschool.org/hubfs/TheShipleySchool-May-2017/Images/Top-Ad-Blog-2016-04.jpg)](https://www.shipleyschool.org/admissions/admissions-events-and-tours) - [Home](https://blogs.shipleyschool.org) - [Request Admissions Information](https://www.shipleyschool.org/request-admissions-information) - [Visit Shipley](https://www.shipleyschool.org/admissions/admissions-events-and-tours) - [Shipley Magazine](https://www.shipleyschool.org/the-shipley-magazine) - [News](https://www.shipleyschool.org/news) [![Five Ways to Celebrate World Gratitude Day with Your Family](https://blogs.shipleyschool.org/hubfs/2020-09-16-World-Gratitude-Day.jpg)](https://blogs.shipleyschool.org/hubfs/2020-09-16-World-Gratitude-Day.jpg) [mindfulness](https://blogs.shipleyschool.org/topic/mindfulness) | [positive education](https://blogs.shipleyschool.org/topic/positive-education) | [PERMA](https://blogs.shipleyschool.org/topic/perma) | [positive psychology](https://blogs.shipleyschool.org/topic/positive-psychology) # Five Ways to Celebrate World Gratitude Day with Your Family September 21, 2020 is World Gratitude Day, and we’d like you and the children in your life to join in the celebration with us! One of the 24 character strengths that make up the backbone of [Shipley’s positive education framework](https://www.shipleyschool.org/about/positive-education), gratitude can be a powerful tool to help you flourish. Research indicates there are both emotional and physical health benefits when gratitude is practiced regularly, including: increased happiness, improved sleep and physical health, a more optimistic outlook, increased meaning and life satisfaction, stronger relationships, and greater success. This doesn’t mean that we ignore all of the challenges or “negative” experiences in our lives ([read this recent blog post by Dr. Nick Holton about the importance of the “negative”](https://blogs.shipleyschool.org/ugh-no-positive-psychology-is-not-just-about-being-positive)). Rather, we can use gratitude to help us reframe our perspective. If used purposefully, gratitude can give us hope, heal us, and help us cope in difficult times. We may not always *feel* grateful, but we can *be* grateful. In turn, that attitude of gratitude will help you power through life’s tough moments. Here are some ways that you can practice gratitude with your children today (and everyday). [The Gratitude Garden Meditation](https://www.todaysparent.com/family/plant-your-grateful-garden-gratitude-meditation-for-kids/) (*good for younger children*) [The Change to Chill Gratitude Meditation](https://www.changetochill.org/chill-breaks/) (*good for older children and teens*) [Guided Gratitude Meditation](https://soundcloud.com/yourmindfulcoach/7-mindful-minutes-gratitude-meditation?in=yourmindfulcoach/sets/gratitude) (*by Shipley’s very own SEED teacher, Marc Balcer*) **Want to learn more?**  Read [How Gratitude Can Help You Through Hard Times](https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_can_help_you_through_hard_times) by Robert Emmons, the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude. [Listen to Gratitude as Mindfulness Practice](https://soundcloud.com/yourmindfulcoach/gratitude-as-mindfulness-practice-a-talk?in=yourmindfulcoach/sets/gratitude), a talk by Shipley SEED teacher Marc Balcer (this includes a guided meditation in the middle). Read [The Power of Gratitude](https://center4selfcare.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/the-power-of-gratitude/) by Shipley SEED teacher Marc Balcer. ### Subscribe to Blog via Email ### About the Author ![Melissa Tassoni](https://blogs.shipleyschool.org/hubfs/Author%20Bio%20Photos/Melissa%20Portrait%202019-09.jpg) Melissa Tassoni works in the Marketing & Communications department of The Shipley School, where she writes about Positive Education, shares tips and resources related to parenting, and highlights exceptional teaching at Shipley and beyond. 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