Wellbeing Officer

From the Student Wellbeing Officer

Scientists have discovered that feelings of gratitude can actually change our brains. The researchers found that:

"...the more practice you give your brain at feeling and expressing gratitude, the more it adapts to this mindset -- you could even think of your brain as having a sort of gratitude 'muscle' that can be exercised and strengthened..." 

We as parents and teachers can help our children train their gratitude muscles.

As mentioned in the last school newsletter, Gratitude is one of the values I have explored with students during Wellbeing Workshops.

There are two activities attached to this article.  One of the activities which I would like to encourage you to do at home as a family is to keep a “Gratitude Journal”.  Grab a notebook or a big piece of paper, use the attached layout or whatever works for you, and maybe while you are having a meal together as a family, get everyone to share something that they are grateful for that day, big or small.  This activity is especially effective when someone has had a bad day and is finding it difficult to find any positives.  In the classroom, students are encouraged to write down everything that they are grateful for.  Introducing this concept as an everyday activity at home is more effective as it assists students to develop a growth mindset, reinforces the values that they are learning at school, and makes finding things to be grateful for a habit, rather than a chore.

To assist with this, the other activity I would encourage you to do at home as a family is make a Gratitude Cube.  Each side of the cube features a statement or question which can be used to facilitate discussion around Gratitude, such as:

• Name a place you are grateful for
• Tell about a time when someone helped you
• What is something you are grateful to have learned?
• Name a person you are grateful for and why
• Tell someone what you like about them
• Who was grateful for your help today?

There is also a layout for a blank cube if you’d like to make your own!

It would be great if families could email me and let me know what you’ve been doing as a family to develop a gratitude mindset.  Any feedback will be included anonymously in future newsletters so that we can learn from each other 😊 

If you would like further activities to do at home and/or further information regarding the programs I run, please do not hesitate to contact me at traceym@suvic.org.au or at the school on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Tracey McGlashan

Student Wellbeing Officer