Parenting Perspective 

Encouraging your children to write small shukr (gratitude) notes is a creative and powerful way to nurture their awareness of Allah’s blessings. Unlike verbal reminders, which can fade quickly from memory, the act of writing encourages a child to pause, reflect, and articulate their feelings of thankfulness. These small notes help to gradually build a habit of noticing Allah’s care in the most ordinary of things, from their toys and meals to their friendships and good health, while at the same time giving them a practical outlet to express their faith. With time, this simple routine can transform gratitude from an abstract concept into a lived experience, deeply rooted in their hearts. 

Make Gratitude Tangible Through Writing 

Children often understand abstract ideas better when they are made tangible. Providing them with some paper, colourful pens, or a stack of sticky notes can make the act of expressing gratitude feel playful and inviting. You can encourage them to write, or even draw, one thing for which they are thankful, such as, ‘Ya Allah, thank You for my pet,’ or a simple drawing of a smiley face to represent happiness. This physical act of writing or drawing helps to solidify the feeling of gratitude in their memory. 

Create a Special Place for Their Notes 

Designate a special place in your home for storing their shukr notes. This could be a decorated jar, a small box, or a dedicated notebook. Over the weeks and months, this collection will become a beautiful visual reminder of the countless blessings in their lives. On more difficult days, revisiting some of these old notes can be a powerful way to remind them of how Allah has always cared for them. 

Build Note-Writing into Your Daily Routines 

It is helpful to attach the practice of writing a shukr note to a fixed moment in the day, such as just after dinner or as part of the bedtime routine. A regular and predictable rhythm ensures that the act of giving thanks does not feel forced, but instead becomes a natural and anticipated part of family life. Keep the practice short and light so that children continue to associate it with a feeling of joy, not pressure. 

Connect Their Notes with Family Sharing 

Once a week, you could gather as a family and take turns reading a few of your shukr notes aloud. Celebrating each other’s expressions of gratitude with smiles and encouragement shows your children that thankfulness is not just an individual act of worship, but is part of a warm and connected family culture. 

Reinforce Their Efforts with Encouragement 

When your child shares one of their notes with you, respond by saying, ‘Alhamdulillah, that is so beautiful. Allah loves it when you notice His blessings.’ Pairing this gentle praise with affection helps your child to see the practice of gratitude as something that is both spiritually rewarding and emotionally uplifting. 

By guiding your children to write these small shukr notes, you are giving them a lifelong tool to transform gratitude from a passing thought into a conscious and beautiful act. These notes serve as small seeds of faith that can grow into a deep sense of resilience, positivity, and a heart that sees the mercy of Allah everywhere. 

Spiritual Insight 

The Quran on the Innumerable Nature of Blessings 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Ibraheem (14), Verses 34: 

‘And bestowed upon you everything that you have asked Him (Allah Almighty); and if you were to calculate the benefactions of Allah (Almighty), you cannot enumerate them…’ 

This verse highlights the profound truth that the blessings of Allah are beyond our ability to count. The practice of writing small shukr notes is a beautiful way to train young hearts to begin to notice and appreciate the countless favours that surround them every single day. Each note becomes a humble and heartfelt attempt to acknowledge His endless mercy. 

Prophetic Guidance on Simple, Sincere Gratitude 

It is recorded in Riyadh Al Saliheen, Hadith 140, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘Allah is pleased with His servant when he eats food and praises Him, and when he drinks a drink and praises Him.’ 

This hadith teaches us that even the smallest and most ordinary of actions, such as eating and drinking, become beloved to Allah when they are joined with a feeling of gratitude. Encouraging our children to capture these simple moments in their shukr notes helps to transform their ordinary experiences into acts of worship. It shows them that thanking Allah is not reserved only for major blessings, but is an everyday act that brings His pleasure. By making shukr a visible practice, parents can help their children to carry their gratitude beyond mere words and into their actions. Over time, they will come to see thankfulness not as a formality, but as a loving and continuous dialogue with Allah.