Forty Days of Gratitude

Thanksgiving is the time to tap into one’s appreciation and thankfulness for all of life’s bounties, however, big or small. And having grateful eyes helps us to see beyond ourselves and enjoy life more completely, to see the abundance and love that fills our life. For example, watching and enjoying a beautiful sunset brings an ‘ah’ moment of gratitude for the beauty of the physical world. It helps to start each day with gratitude to see how much more beautiful the world appears and to keep life experiences in perspective.

Here is an uplifting 40-day gratitude activity for your family or in the classroom. You will notice that there is more cooperation, compassion and kindness with more of a “we” attitude. It brings out the happy heart.

The yogis say that it takes 40 days for something to become a habit. Here is an exercise to educate the heart. The heart doesn’t need education and requires relaxation, simplicity and a chance to come forward sweetly like a tender flower opening to the sun.

You will need a piece of Bristol board paper for each person or a notebook as well as colored markers. Here are the steps of this gratitude activity:

1. Have children clear their mind with the 2-in and the 2-out breath (refer to previous blogs) for 2-3 minutes.
2. Give your children or students an introduction to what gratitude is and share some personal examples.
3. Number from 1-40 down the left side of the paper.
4. Hang the paper on the wall.
5. In the morning have each child write one thing that they are grateful for on the page.
6. Have children draw a picture to go along with the words.
7. You can have the children share with a partner, or each child in classroom shares what they wrote, or you share as a family.

At the end of the 40 days, you can have a gratitude party! Enjoy and be creative!