How to Make a Gratitude Jar
The new year is upon us, can you believe it?!
A time to welcome the magic of new beginnings, and what better time than new years to start a new family ritual.
Start your 2022 by introducing a family gratitude jar! It's super simple.
What do you need?
An empty glass jar or container
Decorate it as you wish (ribbons, sequins, glitter)
Pencils or coloured markers
Paper or small post-it notes
How to make a gratitude jar:
Start on the 1st January 2022.
At the end of each day, write or draw one or two things you are grateful for from the day on a small piece of paper. Put the date on it if you wish.
Ideas: It could be that bite of chocolate you had, the sunshine, a new toy, your pet, that hug you received, something your body can do, something you love about yourself…
Fold it up and put it into the jar.
Do this every day, and watch your jar fill up with all the good things in your life.
You can do this for the whole of 2022, and open up the jar together on 31 Dec 2022 and see all of the amazing things that you have experienced and enjoyed this year.
Alternatively, you can do it as a monthly gratitude jar, and open the jar on the last day of each month and then repeat.
This is such a wonderful tradition to do with your family, young and old. Even in times of challenge and change, there is always something you can be grateful for. By expressing our gratitude regularly we can connect to more positive emotions, make sense of our past, bring peace for today and cultivate a vision for tomorrow.
I did this with my partner last year and it was so cool to read all the things you write over the year. Sometimes it was something small and silly, other times it was really heart warming to read or something funny you forgot.
I will leave you with one of my favourite mantras - you could repeat this with your children after you write your daily gratitude.
“All good things rain down on me.
All good things grow up through me.
All good things surround me.”