Gratitude brings joy to our lives. It's one of the most powerful human emotions, helping us to recognise all the good things in our own life.

In a world where more and more people are suffering mental health issues, gratitude unlocks an ability to not only overcome stresses and negative thoughts, but develops a mental resilience reducing the risk of mental health problems in the first place.

For many people, gratitude activities have become a part of their daily routine, including gratitude quotes. And now, parents are beginning to see that practicing gratitude helps their children, too.

What is gratitude?

The gratitude definition can be hard to pinpoint because it depends on different people and different scenarios. But the easiest definition is to say that gratitude is a positive emotion that makes us thankful for the good things in our lives.

Being grateful does not mean accepting gifts selfishly. It's an appreciation of both the receipt or experience of something positive and the person or thing that has allowed you that experience.

What are gratitude quotes and why are they important for kids?

Gratitude quotes are a bit like positive affirmations. They're daily (usually) quotes designed to inspire a sense of thankfulness in everyday life. Grateful people, and people to practice gratitude, are more likely to sleep better, develop and maintain better relationships, and generally live healthier lives.

There are a range of brilliant gratitude activities for children, and reciting or reading daily gratitude quotes is definitely one of them. We often take so much inspiration from other people in other areas of our lives, and gratitude is no different.

Sometimes, inspiring quotes from other people is all we need to kick start a mental shift.

Given that we're going to be using these quotes for children, it's important to remember that they may not always understand the quote. So, it presents a great opportunity to discuss the quote together. Depending on the age of your child(ren), you may wish to ask them what they think it means to gauge their understanding before explaining it yourself (if needed!).

Short gratitude quotes for kids

These gratitude quotes are on the shorter side, making them a little easier for children to understand (or for you to explain!

1. "Gratitude turns what we have into enough." – Melody Beattie

2. "Thank you for waking me this morning , thank you for this and every day." - Maya Angelou

3. “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson

4. “There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”  – Henri Matisse

5. “You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.” – E.B. White

6. “This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before.” – Maya Angelou

7. “The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” - Dalai Lama

8. “When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.” - Vietnamese proverb

9. “An attitude of gratitude brings great things." - Yogi Bhajan

10. “It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy.” – Unknown

11. “Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices.” – Robert Braathe

12. “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” – Maya Angelou

13. “Nature’s beauty is a gift that cultivates appreciation and gratitude.” – Louie Schwartzberg

14. “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop

15. “When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.” – Kristin Armstrong

16. “Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.” – Albert Einstein

17. “If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.” – Frank A. Clark

18. “The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement.” – Charles Schwab

19. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward

20. "Take the time to appreciate what you have." - Anonymous

21. “The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.” – Mary Davis

22. “Silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone.” – Gertrude Stein

23. “I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.” - E.B White in Charlotte's Web

24. “The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.” – Richard Bach

25. “The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

26. “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” – Brene Brown

27. "When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity." - Elie Wiesel

Thoughtful gratitude quotes for older children

Naturally, the older your child gets, the better equipped they'll be to understand some of the most complicated or thoughtful quotes about gratitude.

28.“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie

29. “Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food, or the sound of a loved one’s voice.” - Joseph B. Wirthlin

30. “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” - Oprah Winfrey

31. “Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” – Henri Frederic Amiel

32. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.” - Robert Brault

33. “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – President John F. Kennedy

34. “Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.” – Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

35. “Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” – Brian Tracy

36. "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." - Helen Keller

37. “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” – William Arthur Ward

38. “It’s wonderful to be grateful. To have that gratitude well out from deep within you and pour out in waves. Once you truly experience this, you will never want to give it up.” – Srikumar Rao

39. “The simple act of saying ‘thank you’ is a demonstration of gratitude in response to an experience that was meaningful to a customer or citizen.” – Simon Mainwaring

40. “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton

41. “A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.” – Cicero

42. “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

43. “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” – Thornton Wilder

44. “Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess, and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours.” – Marcus Aurelius

45. “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” – A.A. Milne in Winnie-the-Pooh

46. “The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.” – Henri J.M. Nouwen

47. “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust

48. “Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.” – John Milton

49.“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.” – Randy Pausch

50. "Of all the characteristics needed for both a happy and morally decent life, none surpasses gratitude. Grateful people are happier, and grateful people are more morally decent." - Dennis Prager

51. “Gratitude also opens your eyes to the limitless potential of the universe, while dissatisfaction closes your eyes to it.” – Stephen Richards

52. “Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” – Buddha

53. “Gratitude always comes into play; research shows that people are happier if they are grateful for the positive things in their lives, rather than worrying about what might be missing.” – Dan Buettner

54. “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”- Marcus Aurelius

55. “It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.” – Naomi Williams

Religious gratitude quotes

Religion is a powerful catalyst to happiness in so many lives around the world. In fact, many religious texts speak about gratitude or thankfulness. So, here's a collection of the best gratitude quotes for kids with a religious focus.

56. “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” - Meister Eckhart

57. “Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” – Buddha

58. “God has promised to supply all our needs. What we don’t have now, we don’t need now.” –Elizabeth Elliot, Christian missionary and author

59. “It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.” –Charles Spurgeon, baptist preacher

60. “Be thankful. God has commanded it—for our good and for His glory. God’s command to be thankful is not the threatening demand of a tyrant. Rather, it is the invitation of a lifetime—the opportunity to draw near to Him at any moment of the day.” –Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

61. “Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.” – A.W. Tozer

62. "We can give thanks in anything because Jesus Christ is Lord and He has overcome the world!" - John 16:33

63. "Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” –Maya Angelou

64. "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." - Epictetus

65. “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton

Powerful gratitude quotes for children who have been through trauma

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, some children will experience some sort of trauma in their lives.

The good news, however, is there is research showing gratitude can help people to overcome trauma. So here is a collection of gratitude quotes designed to help a child to cope with their trauma, and hopefully overcome it.

66. “If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” – Gerald Good

67. “I have a lot to be thankful for. I am healthy, happy, and I am loved.” – Reba McEntire

70. “At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer

71. “Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.” – Lionel Hampton

72. “Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.” – Eileen Caddy

73. "Gratitude is an antidote to negative emotions, a neutraliser to envy, hostility, worry and irritation. It is savouring; it is not taking things for granted; it is present-oriented." - Sonja Lyubomirsky

74. “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” – Tony Robbins

75. “Gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency, and you will attract much better things.” – Rhonda Byrne

FAQs

What age are gratitude quotes for?

Generally, children need to be at least school age to have some kind of understanding of gratitude and what quotes might mean - or least have you explain it to them. However, they can be used right up to teenagers and into adulthood.

What's a good gratitude quote for a child who is feeling sad?

There are plenty of quotes you could use to cheer up a sad child, to show them they have a lot to be grateful for. But our favourite is the following quote from Maya Angelou:

"Thank you for waking me this morning , thank you for this and every day."

It's simple enough for even the youngest children to understand, and sweet enough to brighten their day.

What are some other gratitude activities for kids?

Gratitude quotes aren't the only way to practice gratitude with your children. Many people write in a daily gratitude journal, while others use a gratitude jar or write a gratitude letter.

What is silent gratitude?

It's when we feel gratitude but don't say anything. American novelist and poet, Gertrude Stein, said “silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone", encouraging people to share their gratitude.

Why is gratitude important?

Gratitude helps us appreciate the things, people and experiences in our life, helping to build a mental resilience to hardship.