At Romp n' Roll, we are grateful for your children, and we work on teaching them gratitude during our classes, camps, open playtime, and our daily interactions with your child! Our goal is your goal — to help your child learn about kindness and thankfulness so that they demonstrate these skills in their interactions with others.

1. Say thank you - this may seem so obvious, but go beyond the normal "thank you" and prompt your child to elaborate. For example - "Thank you for the car toy, I am excited to play with it." Help them connect emotion and feeling to the statement so that it is more meaningful. Oh, and parents, join in. The more they see and hear you doing this, the more likely they are to follow suit.

2. Write a note / drawing and put in mail - there is something about showing gratitude in a handwritten note or drawing to say thanks and show gratitude. Check out these thank you note ideas on this post.

3. Make a visual - grab a poster board and every night (or morning), have each member of your family state something for which they are grateful or thankful. Keep adding each day during the month and at the end of month discuss how full the board is and how lucky your family is!

4. Create a handmade gift and hand out to neighbors, friends, family unprompted. Bake cookies, grab a gift certificate, pick up a favorite treat and share. Teach your children that giving is a way to show gratitude, and it’s fun to give without expectation of something in return.

5. Every day, at dinner or bedtime or a time when you can sit down and talk without distractions, go over a high and a low from the day. Talking about both gives you the opportunity to discuss the lessons you learn from even the not-so-fun parts of our days.

What does gratitude mean to you as a parent? Make sure you tell your children how thankful and grateful you are for them every chance you get! That love and reassurance is key for emotional development and attachment.

The staff at Romp n' Roll is grateful for you and your children and so thankful you choose us to teach and play with your children.