As learned in the lesson plan, An Attitude For Gratitude (see Lesson Plans section), practicing how to be grateful can serve individuals in a variety of ways – from releasing stress and feeling good in the moment, to opening the doors to more and more good to manifest in your life. Gratitude in general can be practiced with a more structured daily routine such as writing in a gratitude journal or happen more on a whim.
Gratitude breaks happen in the classroom as either a spontaneous act, or, as a frequent and scheduled occurrence throughout the day. It’s an amazing way of purposely stopping amidst the busyness and stress of the day to focus, with intent, on thoughts of things that are simply wonderful in your life. The practice of gratitude can help anyone to understand that good can be identified in any situation – no matter what!
There aren’t any rules for Gratitude Breaks; just have fun and experiment with them. One time, you might try closing your eyes and just visualizing on the spot the things you have to be thankful for in your lives. Or, during a gratitude break, have everyone jot down 5 points of gratitude on the spot. Involve communication by stopping and doing a Think/Pair/Share of the things each partner is grateful for. Come up with a special sound or signal for Gratitude Breaks – the students will get excited and anticipate these signals as they know it will bring immediate and lasting joy. There are so many ways to be creative with this activity.
After just a few minutes, everyone will be feeling a little more relaxed and a little happier by purposely shifting their focus to the good in life. Best of all, everyone can spare just 5 minutes a few times a day to participate. We have ‘brain breaks,’ washroom breaks and physical activity breaks…why not throw something as powerful as Gratitude Breaks into the mix! Watch as positive attitudes begin to develop and magical manifestations more frequently occur.