When was the last time you stopped to be truly grateful for all the amazing things in your life? If you can’t remember, it’s time for a gratitude challenge! A gratitude challenge is a great way to increase your gratitude and grow in appreciation for all that you have. Today we’ll discuss three different gratitude challenges: a 30-day gratitude challenge, a 7-day gratitude challenge, and even a 1-day gratitude challenge. Choose the one that fits best with your schedule and get started today!
Don’t forget to involve your children. Gratitude challenges are a great way to teach them about gratitude and help them develop a habit of thankfulness. By doing it together you are modeling gratitude to them as well as encouraging them in it themselves.
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How do I Build My Gratitude?
There are many ways to grow in gratitude. A gratitude challenge is a great way to get started, but it’s not the only way. Here are a few simple ideas to grow in gratitude. You can use these on their own or in conjunction with a more structured challenge.
- Make a gratitude list. Each night, take a few minutes to write down five things you’re grateful for. This can be anything from your family and friends to your health and your home.
- Thank someone daily. Take time each day to express gratitude to at least one person. It could be a family member, your best friend, or even a stranger who helped you out that day.
- Meditate on gratitude. When you meditate, focus on the things you’re grateful for in your life. As you think about what you’re thankful for, you develop a more positive mindset. This can help increase feelings of gratitude and happiness.
- Keep a gratitude journal. This is similar to making a gratitude list, but with gratitude journaling you can go into more detail about why you’re grateful for each thing. Be sure to write down even the little things.
- Practice gratitude visualization. Close your eyes and imagine all the things you’re grateful for in your life. Visualize them as vividly as possible.
- Do a gratitude activity with your kids to help them develop a grateful heart. This could be anything from making gratitude lists together to going on a gratitude scavenger hunt around the house or neighborhood.
- Say thank you often. Whenever someone does something nice for you, take a moment to say thank you. Showing gratitude will not only make the other person feel good, but it will also help increase your own feelings of gratitude. Sometimes it’s the simple things that count.
No matter how you choose to grow in gratitude, the most important thing is to be intentional about it. Make gratitude and thankfulness a priority in your life, and you’ll soon see positive changes in every area of your life.
Benefits of Gratitude
Believe it or not, gratitude has many different benefits, including physical, psychological, and social benefits. I’d love to share some of these with you. Which of these inspires you most to start your gratitude journey? The positive effect of gratitude is certainly astounding!
Here’s what gratitude can do:
- Decreases your stress levels, which helps your physical health.
- Gives a positive outlook on life
- Helps us feel more compassionate toward others
- Makes us happier and complain less…or not at all.
- Thankfulness reminds us to look for the positives, even in difficult circumstances.
- Makes us more enjoyable for others to be around
- Is a way to follow God in obedience
- Reminds us of all God’s blessings so we can express appreciation to Him
- Grateful people tend to have a positive influence on those around them
This Gratitude Coloring Journal is perfect to help you relax and focus on gratitude at the same time!
What is a Gratitude Challenge?
Simply put, a gratitude challenge is a challenge to yourself to be more grateful. This can be done in many different ways, but the goal is always the same: to increase gratitude and appreciation for the good things in your life.
A gratitude challenge is a simple way to get out of a complaining and ungrateful rut and jumpstart your journey to thankfulness. It’s also a great way to involve your kids in gratitude activities. Even small challenges give you a bit more motivation to pay attention to how thankful you are.
The goal of a gratitude challenge is a great first step in making thankfulness part of your daily life. If you put in the hard work, you will go a long way in having a new attitude of gratitude by the end of the challenge!
Gratitude Challenge
I have a few different gratitude challenge options for you below. I definitely recommend doing a longer gratitude challenge if possible. By doing a longer challenge, you will be more likely to form a new habit of gratitude. However, if you just need to get started quickly, get out of complaining thought patterns, or you’re about to have a disruption to your life (ie vacation), then there are also some shorter challenges to get you going.
30-Day Gratitude Challenge
I have a couple of different options for you for a 30-day gratitude challenge. Doing a challenge for 30 days, it will hopefully become more of a part of your daily routine. There’s no right or wrong way to do this, so pick what sounds good to you.
Option 1: For thirty days, with your children, take time each day to write down five specific reasons you’re grateful. Be sure to include big and small things! At the end of the month, look back on your list and reflect on all the good things in your life. The best thing about this challenge is that it can be tailored to fit your own needs. If you want to focus on specific areas of your life, like your health or relationships, feel free to do so.
Option 2: Print out the free 30-day gratitude challenge pdf below and hang it on your fridge. Work through the gratitude prompts each day with your family. You may or may not choose to write them down. You can be sure this 30-day challenge will give you and your family a more positive attitude.
7-Day Gratitude Challenge
If you’re looking for a shorter gratitude challenge, try the seven-day gratitude challenge! This challenge involves writing down seven things you’re grateful for each day. Again, it can be something as small as the sound of your child’s laughter or a good night’s sleep, or something more significant like being able to help others. The point is to express thankfulness throughout the day.
It’s so easy for us to focus on material things, right? That’s why this gratitude practice will help you get your mind off the here and now and onto the positive things in your life. You can choose to focus on different areas of your life each day or simply write down whatever comes to mind. If you’re on a roll, don’t limit it to seven!
As moms, unless we prioritize our relationship with God, it can easily fall by the wayside. Learn more about growing closer to God. As we grow closer to Him, we become a better wife and mother as well.
1-Day Gratitude Challenge
If you really want to start small, here are some easy ideas for a gratitude challenge that only takes a day:
- Every hour, take a minute to think of something you’re grateful for. It could be anything from your bed to your favorite food. Be sure to write them down on a piece of paper throughout the day.
- At the end of the day, take some time to reflect on all the things you were grateful for. You may be surprised at how many good things there are in your life!
- Challenge yourself to find something to be grateful for in every situation today, no matter how difficult it may be. This is the perfect way to grow your gratitude muscles!
- Meditate on gratitude for 5 minutes. Think about what it means to be grateful, how you could show more gratitude, and what you could do to grow in this area.
Gratitude Prayer
A heart of gratitude doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and intentionality to grow it in your life. Let’s pray that we become more grateful and teach the same to our children.
My prayer is that one of these gratitude challenges helps you grow in thankfulness and appreciation for all the good things in your life. Be sure to get your children in on the challenge. Let me know how it goes in the comments below!
You may also enjoy:
Growing the Practice of Gratitude
Random Acts of Kindness for Kids: 65+ Ideas {Plus Free Printables}
How to Raise a Grateful Child: Top 9 Tips
