Why You Should Gamify Gratitude

Want to get your kids to be more grateful? Turn it into a competitive sport.

That's what I did during the pandemic with my boys and it's turned into my ultimate #parentinghack.

There's no disputing the science behind a gratitude practice. Expressing thanks and recognizing the good things in your life can boost mood and improve physical health.

The UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center studied gratitude extensively and confirmed results that suggest gratitude is a game-changer for most people.

A recent Rolling Stone article called gratitude the ultimate door opener in a conversation.

But telling your kids to be more "grateful" is a conversation non-starter in most households.

That's why I gamified gratitude during the pandemic.

Hear me out.

I'm a #boymom. My kids absorb life lessons through movement and quite often, competition and making a mess in the kitchen.

So, I started the "gratitude game" during the pandemic.

Yes, I gamified gratitude.

We play it in the car. It's a rapid-fire, round-robin declaration of all things good.

It takes just a few minutes and it's changed our family dynamic during some of the most challenging days of the pandemic.

My guest this week is my 12-year-old son who happened to be home sick from school on the day I was recording this episode.

Buckle up. He's a handful.

On this Dying to Ask:

• The science behind gratitude and the impact it has on mood and health
• How to play the gratitude game
• And what my younger son says he gets out of our family gratitude practice