Dear First Grade Families,
I will spend a lot of time discussing Gratitude in our first grade classroom this year. I will ask and answer the following questions ~ What is gratitude? What does gratitude look like? What does gratitude sound like? How can we show gratitude daily? Why is it so important? ~ Just to name a few!
I will also encourage our students to reflect on their day. Students will be asked what they like about their day and what they feel grateful for. I believe reflection is important because it allows children to think about specific instances when they feel happy, sad, excited, nervous or mad. Not only are they acknowledging those feelings, but they are giving more thought to how they respond to those feelings/situations. When children experience something negative, it is equally important to acknowledge what went wrong, how to use our growth mindset to fix the problem, and how/why we should still remain grateful. More information on Growth Mindset can be found in the tab named "Importance of Having a Growth Mindset" on my homepage!
A sense of gratitude can benefit children and adults in a variety of ways. A grateful person will experience higher levels of positive emotions like optimism, enthusiasm and happiness, show more generosity and kindness to others, and feel better about life overall.
You can cultivate gratitude at home by having your child write a thank you note, keep a gratitude journal, talk about the GOOD parts of their day, encourage generosity, and/or work gratitude into your daily conversation. Please let me know if you would like me to provide you with a copy of a gratitude journal.
Below please find some Gratitude book suggestions:
Below are some books that help promote a Growth Mindset:
I am very thankful for my family, friends, and colleagues. I am also thankful for my students and their suppportive families. Thank you in advance for your support and for being a part of your child's education.
Warm Regards,
Mrs. O'Hare