Seven Unbeatable Tips for Raising Happy and Confident Children
When john Lennon was five, his mother had taught him that the key to a good life is happiness. At school, he was asked what he would like to be when he grows up. “I want to be happy”, he answered.
He was told he doesn’t understand the question.
Yet 6 years old John Lennon answered “you didn’t understand life”.
If you ask any parent what do they wish for their child, the first answer is typically: “I wish for them to be happy”. This wish lies in the hearts of all parents, but unfortunately, things are not always like this. We see children suffering, they are frustrated, angry and agitated. Parents often wonder what can they do to help their children raise their sense of happiness.
Well if you are curious to know, here are some ideas on how to start raising your child’s happiness lever right now.
#1 – Do Things Together:
In their first years, your kids’ best friend is… you, their parent. And the relationship with you continues being meaningful during teenage years as well. Spend time with them as much as possible, and make sure to make it quality time by talking, playing, joint activities, hiking, etc. – let your imagination run free and just do it. A study at Harvard University shows that the more time we spend with family and friends, the happier we are. This kind of leisure is very valuable for us and for our children.
Daniel Gilbert, an expert on the subject of increasing happiness at Harvard University says: “We are happy when we have a family, we are happy when we have friends. All the other things we do in our lives are actually a way to bring these family ties and to have more friends”.
Spending time with family and friends is a proven method to raise happy children.
#2 – Let Your Children Play Outside:
Spending a minimum of 20 minutes outside every day ensures a positive improvement in mood, memory, and even an expansion of our thinking capacity.
Allow your child time to play freely in the open air, in the courtyard, at the park or at the playground. This makes the pastime at the playground far more meaningful than we thought. There, the children will learn to start acting independently, use creative thinking, develop social skills and enjoy the fresh air.
Playing in the open air is a proven method to raise happy children.
#3 – Smile a lot:
This matter was also studied and scientifically proven. When we smile our body automatically excretes hormones of joy, even if it’s not a real smile it becomes real.
There’s a reason why people say: “Smile, and the world will smile back at you”. Smile at the children and teach them to smile as well.
If your child is raising a problem or some difficulty, you should listen to them attentively, without judgment and criticism. In conclusion, we can suggest they repeat the problem with a smile on their face. It’s really hard to have negative thoughts when we smile and it is also a lot easier to find creative solutions.
Smiling a lot is a proven method to raise happy children.
#4 – Do Physical Activity:
Yes, as simple as it sounds, encourage your kids to participate in physical activity, sign them up them for extracurricular activities in the fields of physical activity that interests them, and do the most fun thing – do sports with them: walks, hiking, biking, basketball or football, swimming in the ocean or pool, dancing with them. That way, the whole family benefits from increasing the joy of life, instilling healthy habits, as well as the most important things – fitness and family bonding.
Sport is a proven method to raise happy children.
#5 – A Good Night’s Sleep:
During sleep our body eliminates waste, digesting the day’s experiences, rests, and when it comes to children, the body also grows and develops.
Make sure to put them to bed on time and that they will have enough sleep. When our kids get enough sleep, they are less susceptible to negative feelings and have the power to cope better with any situation.
Good sleep is a proven method to raise happy children.
#6 – Be Grateful:
In a multi-year study at the University of California, a direct correlation was found between our ability to be grateful and high levels of enjoyment in life
Our life satisfaction, physical and mental health and even social and family relationships improved when people practiced gratitude on a daily basis.
Teach your children to give thanks for the good things in their life by setting an example to them, hold family discussion, create a regular bedtime ritual, write a gratitude journal and any other creative way you can think of.
Gratitude is a proven method to raising happy children.
#7 – Be the Change You Want to See in Your Kids:
Personal example is the most effective way to make a difference in our children. 90% of what our children do is a result of modeling your behavior. This occurs both while the child is aware and unaware of your our behavior and conduct (which are always a result of your thoughts and emotions).
There’s a reason why they say: “the apple didn’t fall far from the tree”. We have an obligation to behave the way we want to see our children behave. If we want active kids, we must be active; if we want them to read a lot, we need to show them that we read a lot; if we want them to do sports, we need to show them that we do that as well; if we want them to behave in a nice and respectful manner to each other, we must give them the example of this.
Personal example is the most important method of raising happy children.
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Inesa Klaiman, an expert on empowering children and empowering self-esteem. Founder of “Positive Whispers”, a revolutionary technique for raising happy, confident and competent children.
In the past years, Inesa helped hundreds of parent’s help their children raise their self-esteem, improve concentration and organization, quit bed-wetting, overcome fears, calm aggression towards the environment, improve social skills and more in a matter of weeks using “Positive Whispers” method. Look for the best solution for you and your children at the Positive Whispers shop.
