When I think of November I think of gratitude, giving, and service. Did you know that Gratitude releases toxic emotions, reduces pain, improves quality of sleep AND reduces stress, anxiety and depression?! In our current world where we are overloaded by stress, long work hours, and depressing headlines I think we often need a reset! The quick fix? Gratitude! Expressing gratitude and cultivating happiness is so easy and a WONDERFUL gift to exercise with your entire family! Make an effort this November to start a new month-long family tradition to teach and spread gratitude.
Need some inspiration?
- Kindness week is November 7-13. Kindness deserves more than 7 days of recognition, so we celebrate kindness the entire month of November! Create a construction paper chain link (30 links). On each link write an age-appropriate act of kindness. Each day in the month of November remove one of the links and put that act of kindness into action! You can start small. Some ideas for links could include- Listening to a friend that is having a rough day- write a thank you note to a teacher- color a picture and give it to someone special to you- see how many compliments you can give in one day- say hello and smile at everyone you meet. Older kids could write a positive review online for a favorite local business! Be creative!
2. Veteran’s Day is November 11- Seeds of Caring has a WONDFERUL project that can be done ANYWHERE! Make cards or color holiday pages of veteran’s serving our country overseas. Discuss the sacrifices these brave men and women are making to keep our country safe. Discuss what it might be like to be so far away from loved ones on the holidays. This is a great opportunity to get your whole family involved or maybe even an entire school!
3. Be a recycling hero for Recycling week this November! Help sort the recycling at home or school. See what creative crafts you can come up with out of house hold items! The possibilities to create are ENDLESS with paper tubes, straws, bottles etc. Get creating!
4. Take 5 minutes each morning or evening to think of just one or two things in which you are Grateful. This can be as small as your morning cup of coffee!
5. National Family Literacy Day kicks off November- Donate new or gently used books to families in need. Read books as a family every night this week! Visit your local library and discover a new favorite book or author!
