This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Modeling Gratitude for Our Homeschool High Schoolers.

Modeling Gratitude for Our Homeschool High Schoolers

Thanksgiving: ‘Tis the season of gratitude! We are so grateful to be part of your lives!

In this episode, Vicki, Sabrina, and Kym talk about what they have learned about modeling gratitude for our homeschool high schoolers. As we all know, character and habits are more easily caught than taught. So, if we homeschooling parents would like for our teens to be more grateful, we can help that along by modeling a mindset of gratitude for them.

Why emphasize gratitude in your homeschool when there are so many academics to handle?

Gratitude is part of a healthy lifestyle. Homeschooling goes better when we are in a healthy mindset, and gratitude helps with that. Not only that, but research is finding that practicing gratitude can be healthy to our bodies as well. Hey, Health is a high school core subject, so practicing gratitude can be part of that credit!

7Sisters Health curriculum talks about gratitude.

Here’s some good research on the benefits of gratitude that you can share with your high schoolers for their Health credit:

• Gratitude is associated with greater sense of optimism and better feelings about life (research by University of California’s Robert Emmons on gratitude journaling)
• It is also associated with being more inclined to exercise and experiencing fewer sick visits to doctors (same research by Emmons)
• Gratitude is associated with increased feelings of happiness (research by University of Pennsylvania’s Martin Seligman on writing letters expressing gratitude)
• Patients with chronic pain can experience reduced depression and anxiety when practicing gratitude. (Research published in the Journal of Health Psychology.)
• Gratitude practices can be related to better mood, better sleep, less fatigue and less inflammation. (Research published in the Journal of Spirituality in Clinical Practice.)
• It is also associated with increased activity in the brain (the areas called the anterior cingulate and the medial prefrontal cortex). These areas help moral and social thinking, empathy and value judgement. (Research by Glenn Fox of University of Southern California)
• Gratitude can positively affect sleep and mood by increasing activity in the hypothalamus (especially the production of dopamine, a neurochemical in charge of feeling good). (Article shared by National Institutes of Health)
• Feelings of gratitude can reduce suicide risk. (Research published in Frontiers in Psychology)
• There’s even more information in this post in the Daily Health Post.

Also, Scripture tells us to be grateful

The Billy Graham Library tells us that, “more than 150 times, the Bible either calls men to thank God or tells them how to give thanks”.

Scripture it does not tell us to give thanks because it is  good for our health. It simply says give thanks because that’s the way God works. When we develop a lifestyle of gratitude, we are being faithful to Scripture and God’s instructions. However, isn’t it interesting that when we are grateful, our bodies, minds, and spirits become healthier?

So, why not think about ways to model gratitude for your family?

Ways to model gratitude for your homeschool high schoolers (and the rest of the family)

There are SO many ways to create a grateful lifestyle. Here are a few:

An easy way to get gratitude going is to find things that induce laughter.

Laughter lightens the mood and helps us to think more positively. Laughter is also good medicine. (A merry heart does good like a medicine. – Proverbs 17:22.)

Each evening, try an Ignatian Examen

This is an old practice, developed by Ignatius, a monk back in the 1500s, where you examine your day to see where God was working and to be grateful for His work. There are several ways to practice an Examen. This is how Vicki practices a daily examen.

Notice three things that God was doing that day:

Where did you see God’s handiwork in nature? God created us to be surrounded by beautiful trees, sky, sunshine, clouds, and birds. When we appreciate the beauty of his creation, we are being grateful Then, where did you notice God blessing somebody else? Because even if I did not feel blessed that day, I can appreciate that somebody else had a blessing. Then you can be grateful for that good thing. Lastly, what did God do for you that day? Where did you see Him working in your life? Sometimes, He simply helped you get through a tough day. Other times it’s a big thing, like getting a good report from the doctor.

Here’s a freebie download from Vicki’s coaching website that gives how-to on the Ignatian Examen.

Notice the little things and mention them to the family

A few years ago, our homeschool umbrella school experienced a season of tragedy when one of our teens’ classmates passed away. It was very, very hard on a lot of the kids. We did a lot of supporting the kids and griefwork. One of the tools that helped them get through the hard times was encouraging the idea of noticing and being thankful for the little things. It gave them some grounding while they did the hard grieving.

Gratitude journaling

This is simply a notebook where teens (this works for moms, too) and write down something(s) they are thankful for. Here’s post from Vicki’s coaching website with how-to do a gratitude journal.

Sabrina’s advice on journaling: “If I could go back and talk to younger Sabrina, I would say make sure this doesn’t feel like a five-paragraph essay that you’re assigning to yourself or your teens!”

In fact, here are a couple of freebie downloadable journaling pages to keep it from turning into an “academic assignment”!

• Gratitude Journal with space for a daily verse
• Simple weekly Gratitude Journal format

Talk about it

Kym practiced gratitude in her homeschool Spanish classes. During each class, she had the teens share a high and a low. This practice respected hard things but taught teens to notice and be grateful for the blessings.

Tell your homeschoolers that you are grateful for them

Have you shared your gratitude for your kids with them lately? It is SO good for them to hear that their parents appreciate them!

Thanksgiving is a good time to start

At some point on Thanksgiving, it is a delightful and meaningful practice to ask everyone to share something they are grateful for!

We are grateful for all of our listeners, and for all of you 7th Sisters and 7Siblings who join us over at our 7SistersHomeschool Facebook group.

See you next week! Thanks to Seth Tillman for editing.

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