Keep it concrete.
Read aloud and give a simple example. A word, gesture, or short story is enough.
Simple questions.
Time to connect.
Choose a bedtime question, take turns, and save an answer if you like.
For parents and children ages 3–13.
Start by listening.
You don’t need the perfect response. Listen and make room for every feeling.
Guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Harvard highlights listening and responding to children. Goodnight Good gives you a simple way to make time for those conversations.
HealthyChildren: Communication Skills Start at Home
Harvard Center on the Developing Child: A Guide to Serve & Return
Go at your own pace.
Let your child skip a question or stop. Ask before recording. If you miss a night, start again whenever you like.
Notice everyday kindness.
A week-long study followed 101 families with children ages 6–9. Parents reported more gratitude from their children on days when they did more gratitude activities together. This was a link, not proof that one caused the other.
Our questions invite you to talk about what happened, how it felt, and who helped.
Keep it concrete.
Start with a real moment: a laugh at lunch, someone who waited, or something you tried.
Some studies suggest gratitude activities may help young people, but findings are mixed. A review found no consistent overall benefit. We use this research to guide our questions, not to promise results.
Every feeling is welcome.
“Today was hard” is a welcome answer. Listen, share honestly, and let your child pass. Nobody has to find a bright side.
One question. Both of you.
Take turns answering. You can hold the phone while your child talks. Saving an answer is optional.
Match your child’s age.
Follow your child’s language, interests, and comfort.
Follow their story.
Let them choose a question. Ask a follow-up if they want to say more.
Give them a say.
Let them lead, skip, or choose what to save. Share your answer without turning theirs into a lesson.
What research can—and can’t—tell us.
These studies tested gratitude activities and family interactions, not Goodnight Good. Results vary. We don’t promise that using the app will change a child’s development. The linked researchers and organizations do not endorse the app.
Read the evidence
The studies behind our approach.
Everyday gratitude in families
Hussong and colleagues (2019). A seven-day diary study of 101 families with children ages 6–9. It found a link between parents’ gratitude activities and reported gratitude in children. Families had similar backgrounds and were mostly affluent; all reports came from parents. The findings may not apply to every family.
Read the family diary study ↗Gratitude in early adolescence
Froh, Sefick & Emmons (2008). A classroom experiment with 221 young adolescents. It measured how students rated their wellbeing over a short period, not this app or sleep.
Read the original study ↗The broader youth evidence
Renshaw & Olinger Steeves (2016). A review of 20 studies found links between gratitude and wellbeing, but no consistent overall benefit from gratitude activities. It covers research published through September 2014.
Read the review ↗
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