Thanksgiving – Expressing Gratitude
With the season of thanksgiving and gratitude upon us, Keiki Heroes reminds our community about our greatest superpower the power of Kindness.
The Keiki Heroes team is grateful for our whole community working together to fight COVID and especially for our Keiki Heroes, who have learned to practice healthy habits during the past year to keep themselves and their ‘ohana safe. We’re also grateful for all the medical professionals (doctors, nurses, scientists) who have cared for the sick and provided vaccinations that help us fight the COVID virus.
Kindness is a fundamental value of the Keiki Heroes program and can be expressed in many ways. This includes being thoughtful, speaking nicely to oneself and others, being generous and expressing gratitude. Kindness is an art and a practice that is good for our mind, body, and our community.
Kindness is a unique superpower because it protects the well being of both our mental and physical health. Studies show that being grateful helps overcome negative feelings, increases brain activity, soothes the nervous system, and strengthens relationships. Having and expressing gratitude, like most healthy choices, takes practice until a habit is formed. Here is a great resource on how your family can practice gratitude together.
To foster the practice of being thankful and grateful, and expressing gratitude towards others, Keiki Heroes produced several activities for children. Numerous coloring sheets can create opportunities to engage with each other during family gatherings (including virtual ones). materials available for free download include the Mahalo Lei Making Activity, Thanksgiving Placemat Activity, Mahalo Crossword Puzzle, and Thanksgiving on the Beach Coloring Sheet.
