So I'm getting my kids to write gratitude journals during winter camp. I noticed while doing a lesson on Christmas gifts that a lot of these kids (and teenagers in general) are very self-absorbed and have no concept of gratitude. When asked to write 3 things they wanted from santa, pretty much all of them said money, money, money, and when asked to say 3 reasons why they deserved their gifts, very few could give me a single reason. So now I figure I'll get all Oprah on them and make them reflect a little bit.
The PPT is pretty basic, just outlining the instructions. They have to keep a journal every day, and write 5 things they are grateful for each day. They can be big or small, but they can't have the same thing twice, ever. We'll read them out at the start of every camp class.
This could also be used for regular lessons, I suppose. It's funny, if you keep a journal like this, you have to start looking for things in your life, and you notice small pleasures more easily. It's probably lame, but it can't hurt!
