Raising children is hard. It is the best and worst job at times. The endless cycle of questions that circle around in our heads keeps us awake at night and worrying throughout the day. Did they eat enough? Are they happy? How do I get them to listen? Why are they not sleeping well? The list goes on and on. Every time this year another question pops into my mind and I am sure it pops into yours as well. Are we raising generous, thoughtful, and grateful children?

We know that we all want our children to be grateful. I mean let's be honest....no one wants to raise a "spoiled" child. Children are egocentric and when they are blessed to live in a family who is able to provide for them they do not understand that some children are not so lucky. I've always thought this desire to raise grateful children was simply that I wanted them to grow to be compassionate adults someday. Research actually supports that people who consistently practice gratitude have stronger immune systems, healthier blood pressure, better psychological health, better sleep, increased mental strength, overall they are just happier. Who wouldn't want all of that for their children?

What does this look like in the life of a child? Frankly, young children are the least grateful beings on earth. They want EVERYTHING and they want it NOW! There are three real ways we can begin to make it a part of who they are by mixing intentional lessons, practical experiences, and ensuring strong role models in their lives.

This season is a great time to reflect as parents how we are doing in this area of their development and begin to implement new ways of practicing gratitude.I found a few ways to really begin to be intentional on making sure we are passing along the spirit of thankfulness to our children. I hope they inspire you as they did for me!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving :)


1) Model Gratitude- They need a role model. We ourselves have to be thankful for them to see what it truly means. Start to notice simple things that you are grateful for each day. It might be a sunny day, no traffic, someone helping you out, etc. Make an effort to state in words that you are grateful/thankful for specific things.

2) Chores- Children need to be contributing. They need to understand the "work" behind so many of the things they might just assume "happen." Chores should really begin at age 2 and there are many resources out there that will provide you with what type of chores might be appropriate for what ages.

3) Allowance- Give your kids allowance and let them spend it. They have no idea what money is until they use it to buy things they want and then it is gone. Work and money are related and establishing that connection early is important.

4) Intentional Appreciations- Find time as corny as it might sound to say what you are thankful for. Maybe it's the car ride, bed time, bath time, or around the dinner table but find time in the day to recognize what good things happened that day.

5) Volunteer, Donate, to a Cause as a Family- As a family is important. Even at a young age children know when you are "giving" to others. Look for opportunities to donate together. Go shopping together if you are participating in any type of giving this holiday season!

Emergent curriculum was put into action this week in Ms. Loretta and Ms. Kathy’s toddler classroom! They decided that this week they were going to take a step back and begin to be very intentional with their observations, reflections, and planning. They started the week off knowing that over the past few weeks the children had a continual fascination with dumping and pouring things. This inspired them to bring in one of our large swimming pools and fill it with 100 lbs. of corn and recycled containers to learn more about this particular activity that the children loved doing. There were no expectations as to what the next day would bring. Both teachers took a step back and listened to the children’s words, watched their interactions, and studied what they were doing in the swimming pool. Ms. Loretta took note that one of her youngest girls was meticulous and filled a juice bottle with one corn kernel at time while an older toddler wanted to fill her large bottle up as fast as possible with a smaller cup. As they played they began to add cars and small toy wagons to the corn pit. They loved to lie in the corn and giggled as they covered each other in the corn. They were repetitive and filled and dumped their full containers over and over again.

The observation of the one little girl filling her bottle slowly led them to take a long box, cut holes in the top, and attached a variety of tubes for the children to use with the corn with. They gave them tweezers and spoons. While some of the children were actively using the tweezers and spoons many began to pretend to stir their corn so on Wednesday they added a big mixing pot and two mixing spoons to encourage their play. They were given a few of the water bottles they had filled throughout the week to explore paint with. They rolled and stamped a variety of colors to make an original piece of art. While that was happening Ms. Loretta noticed that one of the little boys was playing one of the large empty containers with a lid on it. He filled the container with corn and it became an instant drum! On Thursday we used the empty containers to fill to make instruments and have a “parade” with music and singing. They also noticed that another little girl loved “sliding” down into the corn so we also added a slide into the corn! The kids enjoyed going up and down throughout the day J Next week they are going to investigate more ways to slide and ways to make music!

This week I have spent some time reading Your Image of the Child: Where Teaching Begins by Loris Malaguzzi. As a teacher, we are trained to plan and be prepared. As a mother, I have a  purse full of "tricks" to get you through that trip to the grocery store. It is how we are wired as teachers and parents and yet this article confronted me with the simple fact that children are not at all like that. They are unpredictable and if schools continue to function in a way that is always predictable they will be schools with no joy. I know that not only do I want my children to find joy in learning but I want them to find joy in life.  While it is great to be prepared in life it is equally important to let go and expect the unexpected. While visiting preschool today I experienced how this concept of expecting the unexpected can play out. A pre-planned activity to build bridges suddenly turned into a ramp experience for one little boy. A simple shift in the plans and letting him take the lead shifted the activity into a memorable experience for child and for myself. As Malaguzzi said, "We need to be open to what takes place and able to change our plans and go with what might grow at that very moment both inside the child and inside ourselves." This little guy taught me a lot today and I look forward to what he or his friends might teach me tomorrow.

TLC is lucky to have such dedicated, hard working, and loving dads. The kids at TLC wanted to show their love and appreciation for ALL you do! From our family to yours...Happy Father's Day!