Ideas for applying the PLS Appreciation concept at home:

• Asking children to share the highlights of their school day or what went well in the day will embed and expand on their appreciation of themselves, others and positive experiences, and build their confidence and positive focus.

• When children learn to appreciate their home environment and those who love them at home, relationships within the home improve and everyone feels more valued and respected.

• Show and express your appreciation and acknowledgement to children for ANYTHING they are doing well, what they are working at but haven’t quite achieved yet, and how they are respecting the structure and benefits of the home environment.

• Beginning or ending a day with 3 ‘gratitudes’ or keeping gratitude journals at home fosters harmony and peaceful loving relationships.

• Encourage children to create a thank you card for someone in their life who has done something kind or supportive for them. They can decorate the card and post it or give it to that person

· Focusing on appreciation and gratitude allows all family members to feel more satisfied with their lives and connected to themselves and others.

• Be the example to children by freely showing appreciation to others within and outside of the home.

• Encourage your children to notice the abundant beauty in nature; sunrise; sunset; colour of sky, trees, shapes of clouds, a beautiful flower etc and make comments about your appreciation of how much beauty is around us.

• Make a game of or roleplay where you practise giving your child a gift or someone doing something kind for them so that they can practice ways to respond with appreciation.

• If you are disappointed by your child’s lack of gratitude, take the time to share with them how you feel and explain that when you see and hear their gratitude you feel proud of them as well as yourself and you want them to feel appreciated and acknowledged also.