Gratitude Activity!

It’s hard to always sit down and write out all the things you are grateful for. Life gets in the way of things, and to be honest, for me, I forget. I get too caught up in life’s problems. So when that happens, I stop and say to myself, “There is always something to be grateful for.”

The Acrostic Grateful Activity

So I decided to come up with this Gratitude Activity that would keep me engaged. I decided to use the poem format of an acrostic. When you take the first letter of each line spells out a word or phrase. It's also a fun way to write a hidden message!

With this game, I take the day of the week and use that day's letters to come up with what I am grateful for. It can be just words or full sentences. It’s all up to you!

For example Saturday

S- Seeing my husband smile at me.

A- Any time spent with my dogs is something I am grateful for.

T- Talking to my siblings.

U- Upbeat music- right now it’s Rock Lobster by the B-52s

R- Reading (I am dyslexic so when I was a child, I coudn’t)

D-Doing the Connections and Mini Crossword games on the New York Times app with my husband.

A- Art that I create daily

Y-Yummy food, I love my McCann’s Irish Oatmeal with apples.

This activity is a fun challenge you can do every day or as often as possible. At the end of the day, whether it was good or bad, take a moment to remind yourself of the things, people, and activities that you are grateful for. It can be incredibly beneficial.

It doesn't have to be the day of the week; it can be the month, a word that makes you feel good, or a person's name. Mix it up and have fun with it!

Roll Into Gratefulness

Another way to practice gratefulness is to take a pair of dice and roll your way into coming up with as many things you are grateful for.

This is a cool way to change up the grateful activity of the day. It would also be fun to do with your kids at the dinner table. You can use either one of booth dice.

Grateful Bingo

The next grateful activity I have is the Grateful Bingo. This can be done only or with family. What a way to get your children involved in this mindful, mental self care activity.

Using a mock up like this, you can come up with one of your own.

1. First, hand out the cards to others if they have joined in this grateful game.
2. Take some time to reflect on the different prompts you see on the card.
3. Choose the prompt that speaks to you and write your thoughts, feelings, and things you are grateful for. It doesn't have to be long.
4. After you have finished answering that prompt, cover it up. You can use a sticker, marker, sea shell, or coin. You can cross it out with a pen, too. This is your game; make it work for you.
5. Continue to answer the grateful promotes and see if you have completed a row, column, or diagonal.
6. When you have completed a row, column, or diagonal, call out BINGO!
7. Take this time to reflect on all the things and people you are thankful for. Share with family and friends and see if they can create their Bingo cards.
8. Try to play this game with others or yourself once weekly or more.

This Bingo game is a great family holiday game that will have everyone get out of their heads and into the emotions of gratefulness.

I hope you enjoyed learning about these grateful games and you can incorporate them into your self care routine.

This was original posted on Medium.