9 Ways to Foster Kids’ Spirituality

Love the ideas in here!

Especially this one fits in so well with what we have covered before:

‘8. Teach your child gratitude.

Gratitude is a time-honored spiritual path that works regardless of your beliefs about the nature of the divine. The deeper our gratitude, the greater our ability to receive, and the more we get out of life.

Of course, children rarely understand their many blessings, and guilt is not an effective teacher. Modeling is the best strategy, simply noting aloud, frequently, how lucky we are to have this beautiful day, this bountiful meal, this reliable car, such a terrific teacher or neighbor, and, of course, each other.

Information is also useful, given judiciously and matter-of-factly in an age appropriate manner: “Some kids don’t have a back yard to play in like we do, that’s why we cherish it and take good care of it.” “Grandma is getting older and won’t be with us forever, so we take advantage of every chance we can to visit her, even though it’s sometimes not so interesting for you. “

And of course, small habits like grace before meal, or counting our blessings, or a thank you at bedtime for the wonderful day, serve as place-markers for the deeper gratitude your children will develop as they mature.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”
-Melody Beattie’

http://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/character/spirituality