When it comes to children, parents nowadays think of good education, health, success, skills…etc. But What about happiness? Did you ask yourself before if you’ve been raising your child to be happy?

Here, we give you some tips on how to raise a happy child.

1- Get Happy Yourself

Happy parents are more likely to have happy kids, while children of depressed parents suffer twice the average rate of depression.

♠ One of the best things you can do for your child’s emotional well-being is to attend to yours: carve out time for rest, relaxation and nurture your relationship with your spouse.

2- Give Real Responsibilities

Happiness depends largely on the feeling that what we do matters and is valued by others. So the more you can convey to your child that he is making a unique contribution to the family, from an early age, the greater his sense of self-worth and his ultimate happiness is.

♠ If your kid loves to organize things, give him the job of sorting out the forks and spoons. If he is particularly nurturing, perhaps his role could be entertaining his baby sister while you get dinner on the table.

3- Provide More Playtime

Today, children are over-scheduled, dialed in and in awe of toys that essentially do the playing for them. Also they spend less time playing both indoors and out. Indeed, playtime isn’t just goofing off; it is essential to help kids grow and learn.

♠ Unstructured play helps children learn how to work in groups, to share, negotiate, resolve conflicts, regulate their emotions and behavior, and speak up for themselves.

4- Let Them Make Choices

Kids have very little control over their lives. They are constantly being told where to go, what to do and what to eat. A little bit of control goes a long way toward feeling happy.

♠ Let your kids choose their outfits. Allow them to choose the dinner menu one night per week. Ask them what classes they want to take.

5- Teach Them To Build Relationships

Researches show that people who are happiest have more people in their lives, and deeper relationships with those people. Teach your child that while relationships take work, they are worth it

♠ It doesn’t take a lot. It can start with encouraging kids to perform small acts of kindness to build empathy.

6- Give Them Unconditional Love

Kids mess up. You tell them not to jump off the couch over and over again. And then they cry. Because childhood is largely based on trial and error, and sometimes kids just need to take chances.

♠ When kids know that their parents love and support them no matter what, they are more likely to take healthy risks. They are confident and secure in their decisions. When children know that their parents will always be there for them, for better or for worse, they are happy.

7- Make it Home, Not House

If your house is disorganized or messy, kids are less likely to want to have friends over. Keeping things neat and in place give kids a feeling of peace and contentment. However, you don’t want to turn into a compulsive neat-freak.

♠ Comfort is a big part of happiness, and kids need to feel free to run, jump, get dirty, and be occasional slobs in their own homes — by themselves and with their playmates

8- Give Affection

First, show your children lots of physical affection: hugs, kisses, back rubs, tummy tickles. Touch has the power to relieve stress and elevate mood. Second,  get your kids moving because meeting a physical challenge confers a positive feeling of achievement.

First published: March 2017