How a Gratitude Journal Can Help Make Your Child Happier

What if there was a daily practice that could help your kids be happier throughout their lives? In fact, there is! It's called gratitude journaling, and it's a simple practice that leads to increased happiness.Why Kids Should Start Gratitude JournalingStudies show that practicing gratitude makes you happier. People who intentionally focus on recognizing people and things that they are thankful for—on a daily or weekly basis—report feeling happy for up to a month after the positive affirmations.Expressing gratitude is also good for relationships. If we focus on the positive things about a person and acknowledge his or her kindness, it can improve our relationship with that person.Plus, journaling is an authentic writing opportunity that also helps children academically with handwriting, spelling, and sentence structure.As parents, we can help kids notice and seek out the positive things happening around them. This practice can become a habit that will hopefully follow them throughout their lives.Read the three tips from Jodie Rodriquez at Scholastic for starting a gratitude journal with kids.