A simple gratitude anchor before sleep. No journaling, no writing, no performance. Five things said out loud to a listening parent. Even mundane things qualify: 'lunch was ok, I got to watch one show, it stopped raining.' The bar is low on purpose. The nightly habit is the point.

How to do it

1"Before you sleep — name five things that were good today. Anything at all."
2Listen without evaluating. "My sock was comfortable" counts as much as anything else.
3Don't add to the list. Don't redirect it. Just receive what they give you.
4"Five. Good. Sleep well." That's the whole thing.

Variations

If they say "nothing was good" or refuse to answer: don't push for a better list — name one small thing yourself out loud ("my coffee was good this morning") and leave space. Most kids fill the silence with their own eventually, even if not tonight.
"Five. Good. Sleep well" is the whole close — say it and leave the room on those words, don't linger for a response.

💡 Parent tip

Don't push for 'better' good things. The child who names their comfortable sock is doing it right. Accepting low-bar answers builds the habit; demanding meaningful answers kills it. This builds a nightly reflection habit ahead of time — if they're already upset or resisting bedtime hard, use a physical reset like the Squeeze Hug or Blanket Press instead.

What your child develops

Attentional shift — naming good things before sleep interrupts the tendency to replay problems
Gratitude practice — done nightly, this builds a habit of noticing positive events
Closing the day — the exercise creates a felt sense of completeness before sleep