May

Research indicates that taking time to show appreciation to others makes people happier, kinder, more responsible, and enjoy stronger relationships. Showing appreciation and practicing gratitude have been shown to directly influence neural mechanisms in the brain: Feelings of gratefulness are evoked in the right anterior temporal cortex, the area of the brain critical for semantic memory–our knowledge of objects, people, and words which form the basis of our social concepts (Zahn et al., 2009). People who express and feel gratitude have a higher volume of gray matter in the right inferior temporal gyrus, responsible for higher-level social cognitive processing including response inhibition (Zahn et al., 2014). Gratitude and appreciation are entwined with the perception of what we have done for others and what others have done for us: emotions that target building and sustaining social bondings (Algoe, Haidt & Gable, 2008), and reinforcing prosocial responses in the future (McCullough, Kimeldorf & Cohen, 2008). Furthermore, studies have shown that hippocampus and amygdala, the two main sites regulating emotions, memory, and bodily functioning, get activated with feelings of gratitude. One study found that a single act of thoughtful gratitude produced an immediate 10% increase in happiness, and a 35% reduction in depressive symptoms. The effects waned within three to six months, indicating the necessity of incorporating regular practices of gratitude into daily life (Peterson et al., 2005). Gratitude has also been associated with reduced stress hormones, chronic pain, and improved sleep quality (Zahn et al., 2009).

Research into adolescents' mental health found that social media can be a positive and effective mechanism for expressing gratitude, and that gratitude-based practices foster reduce suicide risk in young adults by fostering self-compassion and self-esteem (Lin, 2015). Children are shown to express more gratitude when provided modeling from adults, reinforcing the utility of dedicating a month of SEL focus to appreciation and a coordinated school-wide effort to show and accept gratitude from others (Rothenberg et al., 2016).

• Telling friends what we like about them

• Being extra helpful to grownups at home

• Saying "thank you" whenever someone helps us

• Making a list of things we are grateful for

• Showing our teachers appreciation for Teacher Appreciation Week

• Gracias Thanks: Pat Mora

• We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga: Traci Sorell

• My Heart Fills With Happiness: Monique Gray Smith

• Beatrice's Goat: Page McBrier

• A Chair for My Mother: Vera B. Williams

• Thanks & Giving All Year Long: Marlo Thomas

• The Circle of Thanks: Joseph Bruchac

• Sylvester and the Magic Pebble: William Steig

• Apple Cake: Dawn Casey

• Last Stop on Market Street: Matt de la Peña

• Those Shoes: Maribeth Boelts

• At the Mountain's Base: Traci Sorell

• The Thank You Book: Mo Willems

• `Thank You Mr. Falker: Patricia Polacco

• Around the Table That Grandad Built: Melanie Heuiser Hill

• Thank You, Earth: April Pulley Sayre

• Thankful: Eileen Spinelli

• I Am Thankful: Suzy Capozzi

• Thank You Garden: Liz Garton Scanlon

• Thanku: Miranda Paul

• Gratitude Adjustment: Krista Benyuska

• Grandma's Tiny House: JaNay Brown-Wood

• Dictionary for a Better World: Irene Latham

• Let's Bee Thankful: Ross Burach

• You Hold Me Up: Monique Gray Smith

• What is Given from the Heart: Patricia C. McKissack

To support the theme of appreciation at home, please feel free to explore the following discussion questions and activities!

• What are 5 things you are grateful for/appreciate in your life? What are some big things and what are some smaller things?

• Do you think it's important to show appreciation for things in your life? Why or why not?

• How do you feel when you reflect on things you are grateful for in your life?

• Has anyone ever expressed their appreciation for you or something you did? How did it feel?