Raise A Child Who Is Happy – 10 Steps of Happiness Parenting
There is a wealth of information available on raising smart and successful children, but how can you raise a child who is happy? It can be difficult to strike a balance between what’s best for kids and what makes them happy — but the two don’t have to be mutually contradictory. Children who are happier are more likely to grow up to be successful and accomplished adults. So, when it comes to raising happy kids, here is what really works according to science.
1 – Make Yourself Happy
Ironically, the first step toward happy children is a bit selfish.
Your happiness has a significant impact on your children’s happiness and success. A significant correlation has been shown between depressive moms and “bad consequences” in their children, such as acting out and other behavior disorders, according to extensive study. Parental depression appears to induce behavioral issues in children, as well as reduce the effectiveness of our parenting.
This isn’t due to a lack of genetic diversity. Despite the fact that the study discovered that happy parents are statistically more likely to have happy children, no genetic component was discovered.
So, what’s the first step in being a happy version of yourself? Spend some time each week with friends having fun. Hang out with friends or family members who are likely to be laughing as well, because laughter is contagious. Their laughter will make you chuckle, even if it isn’t necessary to lift your spirits. Hearing another person laugh, according to neuroscientists, activates mirror neurons in the brain, giving the impression that the listener is laughing as well.
Having happy kids is something you should strive towards. Parent the Danish Way.
Iben Sandahl is the bestselling author of The Danish Way of Parenting: What the Happiest People in the World Know About Raising Confident, Capable Kids available in 28 languages and Play The Danish Way: A Guide to Raising Balanced, Resilient and Healthy Children through Play translated into 7 languages.
We all want to be the best parents we can be for our children, here is more advice on how to raise a child who is happy.
2 – Instruct Them On How To Form Relationships
Nobody disputes the need of learning about relationships, but how many parents take the time to teach their children how to interact with others? Simply telling kids to “knock it off” when they’re fighting won’t help them develop important social skills. It does not necessitate a significant amount of effort. Encourage children to conduct tiny acts of kindness to help them develop empathy. This not only helps your children develop important skills and become better people, but it also makes them happy in the long run, according to the study.
Encourage them to lift up others
Many of our children participate in bullying. Tell your child a story about a person who goes out of their way to assist others. Children benefit from hearing about other people’s selfless acts of kindness when their parents talk about them or share personal anecdotes about similar happenings in their neighborhood. The ability to aid others becomes ingrained in their character when they are given this opportunity to learn and practice it.
Demonstrate how to be a good person. Teaching your kid by example is crucial, but you should also explain to him or her the importance of helping others. Teach them that helping others helps individuals feel good about themselves and their own worth.
Encourage your kid to get active in their local community. Your kid will develop a feeling of community and empathy for others if you encourage them to serve others on a regular basis.
Donate to a good cause with your child’s help. Your kid may learn the importance of giving back to the community by donating their old toys, clothes, and money to a worthy cause.
Take part in a community service project with your kid. Instilling a feeling of selflessness in your kid may be accomplished via the power of volunteerism. They’ll also be able to carry on the habit of assisting when they grow older.
We all want to be the best parents we can be for our children, so here are some additional tips on raising a child who is happy.
3 – Expect Effort rather than Perfection
If you’re a helicopter parent or a Tiger Mom, take a breather.
The constant pounding of the achievement drum causes children to get confused. Parents who place a high value on accomplishment are more likely to have children who suffer from depression, anxiety, or substance abuse than other children. The research is clear: effort, not a natural skill, should be praised.
The majority of the smart kids preferred the easier puzzle because they didn’t want to risk losing their “smart” status by making a mistake. On the other hand, more than 90% of children with a growth mindset chose a more difficult problem.
Why? When we congratulate children for their effort and hard work that leads to achievement, they want to continue participating in that process. They aren’t distracted from their learning by concerns about how smart — or not — they appear.”
4 – Instill Optimism In Your Students
Do you want to avoid interacting with a grumpy adolescent? Then teach those pre-adolescents to be optimistic. When ten-year-olds are trained to think and perceive the world positively, they are half as likely to develop depression as adults.
Optimism and happiness are so intimately linked that they may nearly be equated. She makes a comparison between optimists and pessimists and discovers that optimists are more successful at school, jobs, and sports. They also end up happier in their relationships because they are healthier and live longer and in return, tend to have a lower risk of depression and anxiety.
5 – Emotional Intelligence Is Something That You Can Teach Your Children
Emotional intelligence is a learned talent rather than a genetic trait. It’s unrealistic to expect children to “naturally” grasp their own emotions, much less those of others. When they’re battling with anger or irritation, it’s an easy first step to “Empathize, Label, and Validate.” “I am SO SO SO MAD AT YOU,” Christine says.
“You’re furious with me, you’re really furious with me,” I say. Tell me more about it. Are you also sad because I’m not allowing you to have a playdate right now?”
“YES!!” exclaims Christine. “Right now, I want to have a playdate.”
“You appear to be depressed,” I say. (Christine whimpers a little and rests her head on my shoulder as she crawls into my lap.)
Relate to the child, assist them in identifying their feelings, and assure them that they are normal (even though bad behavior might not be).
We all want to be the best parents we can be for our children, here is more advice on how to raise a child who is happy.
6 – Make Happiness a Habit – Raise A Happy Child
We’ve reached number 6, and it may appear that you already have a lot to remember — let alone for a child. With good practices, we can overcome this.
It is difficult to think through these approaches, but once they are established, acting in a habitual manner is simple.
How can you assist children in developing long-term happy habits? A few effective, research-based methods: Get distractions and temptations out of the way by removing stimuli. Make It Known: Set objectives to generate social support — as well as social pressure. One Objective at a Time: Willpower is depleted when there are too many goals, especially for children. Before adding another habit, make sure the first one is solid. Continue to Strive: Don’t hold your breath for perfection right away. It will take some time. Relapses are inevitable. That’s quite typical. Continue to reinforce.
7 – Self-discipline Should Be Taught
Self-discipline in children is a better predictor of future success than IQ — or, for that matter, almost anything else.
Yes, it’s time for the famed marshmallow test once more. Kids who were better at resisting temptation had far better lives and were happier years later….adolescent IQ, school performance, and social skills are predicted by toddlers’ capacity to defer gratification–to wait for that second marshmallow. This is due, in part, to the fact that self-discipline aids learning and data processing. Furthermore, self-disciplined children are better at dealing with frustration and stress, and they have a stronger sense of social duty. To put it another way, self-discipline leads to higher enjoyment, more friends, and increased community engagement, not only in school and at the dinner table.
What is a good method to begin teaching self-control? Assist children in learning to resist temptation. One method is to conceal the temptation by covering the tempting marshmallow with a physical barrier. In one study, 75 percent of children were able to wait 15 minutes for the second marshmallow when the reward was hidden; none of the children were able to wait this long when the reward was visible.
Here are more tips on how to raise a child who is happy.
8 – More Time to Play – Raise A Child Who Is Happy
These days, we hear a lot about mindfulness and meditation, and both are quite beneficial. However, getting them to perform things on a regular basis might be difficult. What comes close to working?
More time to play.
When they play, most kids already exercise mindfulness or completely appreciate the current moment. However, today’s children spend less time playing both inside and outside… Over the previous two decades, children have lost an average of eight hours of free, unstructured, and spontaneous play per week…
It’s not simply about having fun. It’s critical for children’s development and learning.
Researchers believe that the huge decrease in unstructured playtime is contributing to the cognitive and emotional development of children… Child-led, unstructured play (with or without adults) boosted children’s intellectual, physical, social, and emotional well-being, in addition to helping them learn to self-regulate. Children learn to collaborate in groups, share, negotiate, settle problems, regulate their emotions and conduct, and speak out for themselves through unstructured play.
There are no hard and fast rules to follow in this case: More time should be set up for your children to simply play outside.
We all want to be the best parents we can be for our children, so here are some additional tips on how to raise a child who is happy.
9 – Set Up Their Environment to Make Them Happy
We don’t like to acknowledge it, yet our surroundings have a huge impact on us — often more than we realize. Time and effort will limit your attempts, while context has a constant impact on us (and our children).
What’s an easy approach to get more control over a child’s environment and maximize the impact of your conscious happiness efforts? Less television.
According to a study, there is a substantial correlation between happiness and not watching television.
According to sociologists, happier people watch significantly less television than unhappy people. We don’t know if TV makes people sad or if individuals who are already unhappy watch more TV. But we do know that there are a variety of activities that can assist our children in becoming happy, well-adjusted adults. Our children are not doing those activities that could make them happier in the long term if they are watching television.
We all want to be the best parents we can be for our children, so here are some additional tips on how to raise a child who is happy.
10 – Dinner Should Be Shared – Raise A Child Who Is Happy
Sometimes all science does is confirm what our grandparents already knew. Yes, having a family dinner is important. This simple custom helps to shape healthier children while also making them happy. Children who eat dinner with their families on a daily basis are more emotionally stable and less prone to abuse drugs and alcohol, according to studies. They received higher grades. They show fewer signs of depression, especially among adolescent girls. They’re also less prone to gain weight or develop an eating issue. In terms of preparing your children for school, family dinners even top reading to them. These links persist even when researchers take into account family ties…
You may also want to have a look at our list of kid-friendly healthy eating suggestions.
- Bottom line, these are the ten ways to raise happy kids:
- 1. Make yourself happy
- 2. Instruct them on how to form relationships
- 3. Expect effort rather than perfection
- 4. Instill optimism in your students
- 5. Emotional Intelligence is something that you can teach your children
- 6. Make happiness a habit
- 7. Self-discipline should be taught
- 8. More time to play
- 9. Set up their environment to make them happy
- 10. Dinner should be shared
Raise A Child Videos – Happiness Parenting
Medical Disclaimer
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only.
How Can Parents Raise A Child Who Is Happy? is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.