How to use

There are several ways to play this game.

 

OPTION 1: CHOOSE A CARD

The most common way is to ask your child to choose 1, 2 or 3 cards that best describe what he or she is thankful for today. Next you ask open ended questions like, "Oh, I see, you chose "I learnt a new thing", "your friends" and "for everything" tell me all about it" and thus the conversation begins. You get a chance to listen to your child, relive the positive emotions, have an opportunity to teach them important concepts, and then reward them with a high 5 or a hug. 

Let me just add a comment about rewarding - this is instrumental to the success of the game, but whatever you do, make it authentic.  This shouldn't be hard to do as everything the cards touch on are positive things we want to reinforce anyway.

 

OPTION 2:  YOU TEACH

If your child is not feeling very talkative today, its not a problem, you can use this moment to show them what YOU are thankful for.  

 

OPTION 3: CHALLENGE MODE

You can also use the cards in "challenge mode" meaning, you can pick some cards out blindly and challenge your child the following day to do what is written on the cards.

 

OPTION 4: SILENT MODE

Last but not least, the cards even work when you are not using them.  I purposely made them colorful and to be displayed so that your child will be constantly reminded every time he or she wakes up, goes to sleep or just by passing by the cards during the day. Marketeers call this "top of mind awareness" and psychologists refer to it as "priming".