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Introduction
We are in the throes of the holiday season where our young kids are going to be getting a lot of things handed to them for free. Halloween candy, a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal, and Christmas presents. And nothing is worse than having our kids feel entitled to all of these things without any expression of gratitude. And while, as parents, we want our young kids to say thank you to all of their generous givers, we also want them to experience that warm feeling that swells inside of us when we truly practice gratitude. But that doesn’t come naturally to little kids, we actually have to help our kids practice gratitude. Luckily, I have 5 easy steps parents can do to propel gratitude along. Lauren Barrett Writes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy. 
Table of Contents
Parents Can Help Their Young Kids Practice Gratitude in 5 Easy Steps
#1. Stop Saying, “Say Thank You.”
I know, I know. I can see your faces all in shock at this one. Up until a few days ago, I was still doing this and then I learned why we shouldn’t, and I am doing my best to change this old habit. Dr. Becky from Good Inside says that gratitude is not a behavior we need to encourage but a feeling. Watch her video here on how she thinks about building gratitude in her kids. When we prompt our kids to say “thank you” over and over again, we are teaching them rote behavior without doing anything to encourage the feeling. Eventually, this forced action can lead to older kids simply forgetting, refusing, or defying their parents' old adage because they never learned how to feel gratitude. They simply think what is given to them is expected. I also just want to add that telling your kids to say “thank you” while also teaching them the feeling is OKAY and works.
#2. Notice Moments of Gratitude
Instead of telling our young kids to say “thank you,” Dr. Becky suggests stopping and pausing to notice moments of gratitude in your life. This could look like this in your household... Situation 1: You are all seated around the dinner table, eating a delicious meal. Pause. Say, “Hey everyone, do you know what I just noticed? We are all eating together as a family. This feels so nice. We have food. We are all laughing. I am so thankful for this.” Situation 2: You and your kid are out for a walk. Pause. Say, “Hey, let’s take a moment to just stop and look around. The fall leaves are so pretty. The sun feels so good on our skin. You have a jacket to keep you warm. You are having so much fun riding your bike, and the shoes you are wearing are really helping you pedal fast. I love moments spent with you like this. I’m so thankful.” Now, your kids are noticing those moments that feel good and begin to connect future experiences like these ones with a feeling of gratitude. Dr. Becky also cautions parents that now isn’t the time to lecture kids on how some kids don’t have all of these things. She states that over time the more kids notice our slowing down to acknowledge a good feeling, the more likely they will do the same in the future. 
#3. Model Gratitude
Studies have found that grateful parents raise grateful children. That means you want them to catch you expressing gratitude. Whether it be saying thank you to your husband for cleaning up the kitchen or thanking the cashier at checkout, you want your child to notice your gratitude. I’m a big fan of thank you notes and a gratitude journal. Therefore, I definitely want my child to see my writing these notes and jotting in my journal. This can be simply done like this: Situation 1: At Target. Hmm, I’m looking at my list of what I need. Ohh, I need to get some thank you notes to write to all the people who gave you a gift at your birthday party. It was so nice of them to get you all those great gifts! You love playing with your new presents. Do you want to help me pick some out, and we can write them together at home? Situation 2: Before breakfast While you play before breakfast, I’m going to do part of my morning routine. I like to write down four things I am thankful for. Let’s see. I am thankful for...a,b,c, and d Your kids will pick up on all the ways you express gratitude and begin to practice what you do. Also, be sure to thank your children too!
#4. Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude with your kids is similar to modeling gratitude, but this time you are going to involve your kids in doing some of the work. Like most things we learn, practice helps build a skill. Here are three ways to practice gratitude with your kids. a.) Ask them questions: When you are stopping and pausing to notice gratitude, ask your kids how they feel in the moment too. Ask them what they are thankful for before bed. Ask them who they are thankful for each day. Your kids might not be able to answer right away, especially if they are still young. But just by asking and then pausing to allow them to answer is enough to start getting their wheels turning about gratitude. If they don’t answer after an appropriate wait time, help them out with a few options. We went to the park today. That was fun. Maybe you are thankful for that. You got to play with your trains at grandma’s house. You could be grateful for that. Before long, they will be answering on their own. b.) Write thank you letters Involve them in “writing” letters to people they are thankful for. These letters can be to family members, friends, teachers, and service members (firefighters, police officers, mail carriers, the military, etc). Explain why you are doing this, do it, and then send them out. c.) Use pretend play Use stuffed animals, toys, or imagination to practice gratitude. For example, pretend to have a birthday party for one of your kid’s stuffed animals. Bunny will open presents and practice saying thank you to his guests for his gifts even if he doesn’t like them. Also, you can have your kids practice trick-or-treating before Halloween and have them say thank you for getting candy. Planting seeds of kindness through make-believe will give your children the tools necessary to handle situations where they need to practice gratitude on their own. 
#5 Point Out Gratitude
The last one is simple and summarizes everything up. Whenever you see gratitude in books, on TV, and in real life, point it out to your kids. That’s it.
Final Thoughts
Gratitude is so important, but it isn’t something you want to force upon your kids. Remember gratitude is more than a behavior. It’s a feeling we want kids to experience inside of them. This feeling is the way in which we will build long-lasting practices of gratitude with our kids that they will carry long into adulthood. The biggest takeaway is taking the time as a parent to pause and notice those feelings of gratitude with your kids. And before long, your heart will be melted as your kid says a sweet little thank you all on his own.
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Main Keyword: 2-3 Year Old Gifts
Related Keywords: 2-3 year olds, toddlers, preschoolers, Christmas, gift ideas, parents Targeted Audience: Parents of toddlers and preschoolers
10 Gift Ideas to Get 2-3 Year Olds For Christmas That Won't Annoy Parents
Introduction
My son’s birthday follows Christmas, so we get a lot of gifts from grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends. While I appreciate their sentiment behind those gifts, I DO NOT want annoying, plastic toys that blink, flash, yell, sing, and get under my skin anymore. I’m preaching this from the mountain. Not only are these toys annoying for parents, they don’t serve much of a purpose besides mesmerizing and entertaining your toddler into a stupor for a brief moment. Oftentimes, these toys are cool for a month or two. Your 2-3 year olds get bored of these toys quickly and do little to help foster their imaginations. They do all the work for your little ones. What we want people to get our kids are open-ended toys, meaning toys that grow with our 2-3 year olds and help our toddlers use their imaginations and creativity. They can be used in multiple ways and don’t serve one single purpose (Building blocks vs. a toy helicopter that sings and plays music). Lauren Barrett Writes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy. 
10 Gift Ideas to Get 2-3 Year Olds For Christmas That Won't Annoy Parents
In today’s blog post, I have 10 gifts for your toddlers and preschoolers that won’t annoy you as parents. They are educational, fun, and practical.
#1. Hugg-A-Planet with Educational Placemat Map
I am a little biased on this one, but I love geography, and, not to get on my high horse, but believe that we should all have a knowledge of our world. Hugg-a-planet is a soft, plush globe that your 2-3 year olds will love hugging, tossing, and learning from. Pair this with an educational placemat of a map of the world or U.S.A. These gifts will allow for incidental learning to take place, and your toddlers’ natural curiosity will take over as they begin to study and pore over these globes and placemats while they eat, play, and enjoy quiet time in their rooms. These gifts invite discussions at dinnertime and when you are just hanging around in the living room. And what’s great, is that these gifts can last well into the teenage years, serving a purpose.
#2. Magnetic Tiles
This gift is perfect for your 2-3 year olds and even beyond. These magnetic tiles come in different shapes, sizes, and colors. They encourage your toddlers to build, create, deconstruct, match, stack, sort, and more while allowing your children to be the drivers behind what they do. They aren’t loud, and they don't even hurt that much when stepped on. Take them outside, play with them inside, or build with them in the car, this gift provides hours of entertainment and brain development.
#3. Kids Carpet Playmat Rug
I like these large rugs because they open up a whole new creative world for your kids. The rug includes roads, a hospital, a school, an airport, and more. Kids can use their toy cars and blocks to build an imaginative city throughout this rug. The mat provides an opportunity for kids to control the narrative and the play.
#4. Wooden Stacking Rocks
These wooden stones are similar to building blocks but have a different allure to them in a way because they are NEW and have a challenging element to them. How high can you balance them? What way should you stack them? Vertical? Horizontal? They also can be used for more than just stacking. Bury them in the sand or dirt to find. Wash them off with soap and water. Sort them by color and shape.
#5. Indoor Teepee
I think there is something magical about an indoor teepee where your toddler can go and camp out for some time. Your 2-3 year olds can have quiet time in the tent to read, color, play, and build. They will want to go in there because they will feel “hidden” and as if they are in their own little world.
EXPERIENCES
As parents, we also want our kids to have experiences that build long-lasting memories and connections. I love these as gifts for Christmas.
#6. Swim Lessons
When my parents gave my son swim lessons for Christmas, I would dread going each night, but when I got there, I realized how much I loved experiencing this with my son. I have fond memories of connecting with my son during these times. He was being active, learning a necessary skill, socializing with his peers, and having special time with mommy. I wouldn’t trade our time practicing “fast feet” in the water and our locker room conversations for anything. 
#7. Memberships
I highly recommend a membership to a kids museum or zoo. My parents got us a membership to our local kids museum last Christmas. This whole year, especially when it was too hot outside, we would head there for an hour or two. He would have a blast. Since my son is still a toddler, he didn’t yet run from one section to the next. He preferred to play in one spot while I parked my behind on one of the many seats or benches and would read a book or just soak up the joy he had from being there. 
#8. Weekend Getaway
A weekend getaway can be as elaborate as a trip to the mountains or an indoor water park to as simple as a weekend with Grandma and Grandpa with tons of sugar and TV. This gift is all in the presentation and how you hype it up when your 2-3 year olds open it on Christmas. Print out a coupon or gift certificate with what the weekend getaway will be and wrap it in a “special” box in which your child will open up last. Say that this is a “magical” gift consisting of many memories. Then, talk about the importance of memories. Use a whisper voice which will trigger to your toddler that this gift is important. And then enjoy the weekend getaway whether you are the one staying behind or going with your child. 
#9. A Year in Review Photo Album
I did this for my son’s first year. It was more of a gift for me than him since he was still a baby, but now he likes looking back on it and pointing out all the people in the pictures. This is a fun gift to do every year for the family, but especially for 2-3 year olds as you are building language in them and helping them make connections. Flip through the photo album with your toddlers and reflect back on the memories of the past year. Ask questions to see what they recall. Let them keep this album in their room to “show off.” Having these each year will be so much fun to look back upon when the kids are older.
#10. The Henry’s Hiccups Experience
Supplemental to my book, Henry's Hiccups, The Henry's Hiccups Language Experience offers the following:
10 Modules found in the Henry's Hiccups Language Experience.
Perfect for teaching your kids the full language experience. 
Final Thoughts
Remember this. You do not need to get your child the latest and greatest toys. The greatest gifts you can get your children are the ones that build memories and connection and encourage little ones to use their imagination. Sign up for my checklists to help you with life's hard moments below or check out my parenting guide, Now What? to help teach your kid how to play independently.
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