What is gratitude?
Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation felt by the receiver of kindness, gifts, favours or any other kinds of generosity towards the giver.
Why should we be grateful?
1. To appreciate the small things in life
2. To not take things for granted
3. To hold whatever's precious closer to us
4. To build better relationships with our family and friends
Some people tend to take things for granted, be it adults, teenagers or children. They will compare their lives to others and keep asking for more until they feel satisfied.
However, we should always remind them that there will always be someone who's less fortunate so we ourselves should stop complaining and be grateful for what and who we have.
Remember, just a simple "thank you" will make someone's day and it will lead us to more positive actions like helping others in need and doing random acts of kindness.
What should we be grateful for?
EVERYTHING! We should be grateful for our health, for being able to sleep on a bed at night, for having enough food and drinks on the dining table and for having our families and friends around.
How to stay grateful?
We should always remember the unexpected or expected good things that has happened to us and be sure to always SMILE!
S - Say thank you
M - Make time
I - Instill an appreciation
L - Love each other
E - Empathise
We should also normalise saying thank you to the little sweet gestures and help others because "what you give, you get back" and in that sense, it's also important to be sincere when you're doing something. As the author, Jean Giraudoux once said, "The secret of success is sincerity".
To whom should we be grateful for?
Mostly our parents! Because without them, we wouldn't be here today and we wouldn't have gotten the education that we need but most importantly, we wouldn't be the way we are today if it wasn't for them. So, it's essential to keep our parents happy and be grateful for them always. Flip your attitude, show some gratitude!
What better way to read more about gratitude other than from our audiobooks? Here, we've compiled a list of books that represents gratitude just for you!
Top 3 children's book about gratitude:
1. City Mouse and Country Mouse by Emily Goh and Edeline Goh.
Two cousins, Jane and Kim got to embrace and live in each other's worlds for a day. Jane is a girl who adores the city's escapade and the hustle and bustle. While Kim is more of a girl who enjoys the sounds of nature, where peace and quiet sit well. But they struggle to live in each other's world. Although the differences between their lives are apparent, they are grateful for everything they have!
2. Yoshi the Stonecutter by Becca Heddle & Meg Hunt.
Yoshi is a stonecutter who lives in the mountains. He's a poor man with a tired back who bents and have hard hands. Throughout his lifetime, he had been whining with the things that he wished he had. A spirit in the mountains came to Yoshi and granted as many wishes as he'd like. He became very greedy with his wishes and unhappy too. That is why we should always be grateful!
3. Little Owl's Orange Scarf by Tatyana Feeney.
Little Owl is usually the kind that loves everything even surprises. From doing sums to eating ice cream and riding his scooter except for wearing his new orange scarf that Mummy Owl made for him. He says it's too long, itchy and orange. He even tried to lose it many times and refused to listen to Mummy Owl after she repeatedly asked him to put it on to avoid catching a cold. What will Mummy Owl do about it?
Tell us what you're grateful for in this activity. Print it, fill it up and have fun!
The all-new Me Books App is here at last and we have a lot more storybooks for you to choose from!
Join Jane and Kim, Yoshi and Little Owl on the brand new Me Books app now!
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