“Many things can contribute to your child’s happiness. External stimuli, for example, may make your child happy (or, conversely, it could make your child sad). Validation can result in peace and contentment, and friendships can be full of pleasure and joy. But there is no one thing which makes your child happy. There is also no way to keep a “happy child.” Full-time happiness is a myth, one which is impossible to attain. Still, there are skills you can teach your child to help them experience joy.”
Holly Garcia, Laura Kirby Writers at Parents
As a parent, there’s nothing quite as fulfilling as seeing your child happy. You can’t find happiness if your child is sad!
However, one must be conscious that they are treading a fine line here. Might you give into your child’s whims by letting them indulge in more screen time than you think appropriate, be the answer?
The idea that one can be ‘happy all the time’ is a myth.’ But what we can do is teach our kids to experience a sustainable joy, not the brief kind that’s gone almost as soon as it arrives. All about the joy of giving to kids is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling acts a person can do.
5 Prime Benefits of a Happy Childhood
A happy childhood has several benefits. Here’s a look at the top 5.
1. Better physical and mental health
2. Heightened social skills
3. Increased life satisfaction
4. Stellar social skills
5. Less behavioural problems
Click here for more knowing more about the importance of early year child education.
Top 10 Tips to Raise Happy Kids- Best ways to Nurture Happy Kids
- Teach Them Empathy
- Practice Gratitude
- Get Happy Yourself!
- Encourage Effort
- Don’t ‘fix’ their Feelings
- Be a ‘Value’ Role Model
- Use Inductive Discipline
- Encourage Outdoor Play
- Practice Mindfulness
- Hone their Optimistic Streak
If ‘how to raise happy kids?’ is your question, then ‘teaching empathy’ is the primary answer. Did you know empathy is a skill that can be learned? The innate joy from feeling for others makes for delighted kids.
How: Take your child to an orphanage for the blind or perhaps a slum tour!
Gratitude is the key aspect in raising happy kids. Harvard Health wants us to believe that gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. if we aren’t grateful for what we have now, how will we ever be thankful for what the future brings?
How: Ask your child, every day, to name one thing they are grateful for. This is an excellent formula for raising happy kids!
Did you ever ask yourself ‘what makes children happy?’
I know it’s not as simple as it sounds, but how do you expect your child to be happy around a sad parent?
How: Spend time with people who make you happy. Remember, happiness is contagious. Happy parents make for happy kids!
Encouraging effort is important to raise happy kids. You don’t want to be that football dad admonishing his son because he couldn’t score a goal. It has been proven that having unhealthy expectations about your children might increase their risk of falling prey to depression.
How: Encourage your child to work hard, irrespective of their innate ability and the results that follow. With the backdrop of lofty expectations removed, you get happy children!
Did you know that simple techniques could help raise happy children?
There’s no ‘magic fix’ for sadness. The last thing you want to do is to swoop in with a ‘material fix’ like ice cream or perhaps a brand new video game. By doing so, you will truly begin to understand ‘what makes children happy’.
How:
1. Spend time with your child and give them space.
2. Remember, parents are not responsible for happy children; children themselves are.
3. Allow them to find the resilience to cope with life’s tragedies and find happiness themselves.
Believe it or not, your children are watching you more closely than you think. Who better, then, to learn values from than yours, indeed? By being a valuable role model you will automatically be raising happy kids.
How: Imbibe strong values in your behaviour, like prioritising family time over splurging on material things and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. A perfect recipe for childhood happiness!
Many children at the receiving end of strict punishment end up depressed. Wouldn’t it be better if you could reason with your child?
How: If someone hits your child and they hit them back, don’t punish them. Instead, explain that doing what the other child did only makes them every bit ‘like that bad child.’ Teach them the value of cultivating peace—one of the better ways to raise happy kids.
Simply spending time outdoors can be a therapeutic experience. The play takes it to another level altogether.
How: Encourage your child to dig in the dirt (a sound bath is in order later, of course), enjoy time on a swing, or run in the grass. Happy kids are bound to get even more joyful!
Happy parenting occurs when you and your child are fully present.
How: You want to keep your phone away when you’re with your child. They deserve your full attention. Could you encourage them to do the same? There’s always time for the screen later.
We know life’s far from perfect. But if we can see the silver lining in every dark cloud that looms over us, we can find happiness.
How: Teach your child that every failure is an opportunity to succeed. Have them see the good side of unfavourable events. That will go a long way in fostering happy kids.
Conclusion
Raising children is hard; introducing them to be happy is even more challenging. Using the tips in this article, however, you will be able to harbour in your children a more sustainable form of happiness that will lead to their overall contentment and well-being. In this article, we have covered the importance of raising happy children. We have also provided you with ten excellent tips and five benefits of raising happy kids. We hope to have answered your question ‘How to raise happy children?’ Do share your thoughts.
At EuroKids, we ensure to constantly engage your children in fun learning activities that cater to their happiness and wellbeing. We make it a point to listen to each child’s feelings, teach them gratitude and have excellent teaching staff that act as role-models in your child’s development.
For informative and accurate articles on all things related to your new born-toddler’s development, growth, health and nutrition, follow EuroKids Blogs and do check out our nationally recognized preschools – EuroKids for the first step in your kid’s educational journey!
