Tonight with your 9 to 12 year old

The prompt

“What does it feel like in your body when you're really, genuinely thankful for something?”

What to listen for

If they can describe a physical sensation, warmth, a smile they can't stop, wanting to hug someone, that's a sign they're learning to notice their own feelings from the inside, not just name them from the outside.

Listen for whether their example of gratitude is about a thing they received or a moment they shared with someone, the second usually points to a deeper, more relationship-based sense of what matters to them.

If they struggle to describe a feeling in their body, that's completely normal at this age, you can offer your own example first to model it.

What this tells you

This shows how connected they are to their own real feelings, not just the polite words for them.