A happy child’s unadulterated joy makes you smile, but real moments of happiness are fleeting. We all know that as much as we might strive for continuous happiness, this isn’t realistic.

In life, we face adversity and trauma amongst the positive, happy memories – baking together, days at the beach, dancing in your living room to your favourite guilty pleasure! 

The myth of full-time happiness can put too much pressure on people. Instead, we should focus on successfully adapting to stressors and demanding or difficult situations. Building resilience in children is crucial for helping them navigate life’s challenges. 

We should embrace the fact that there’s no one way we can make ourselves or other people happy. Still, there are specific skills and tools we can use or teach to help us and those around us experience joy. 

Creating an emotional toolbox is the basis of Mind Marvels’ existence—we demonstrate what goes on inside the brain simply so children can gain a vital understanding of how a range of feelings will occur in different situations. 

Here are our tips on improving your child’s overall happiness and wellbeing using our mindfulness techniques!

1. Build a strong connection

Being involved in our children’s lives is vital for their personal development. We should have conversations about what’s happening and actively help them problem-solve stressful or challenging situations they may be facing. These conversations will help them understand their emotions and their boundaries. Being open and building this connection will ensure they know how to handle life’s inevitable problems in the future. 

2. Plan family activities

Part of building a stronger family connection is actively setting days or times to plan family activities. Creating warm, fuzzy, and happy memories is extremely important for bonding. It doesn’t need to be a big, expensive holiday to a beach resort; it can be as simple as a weekly games night, family outings to enjoy the outdoors, or even cooking together. Creative play (art projects or role-playing games) also develops problem-solving skills and encourages self-expression, making it perfect as a fun family activity! 

3. Teaching emotional regulation

Teaching this will vary according to your child’s age, as we tend to learn emotional regulation and impulse control at different ages. Something that Mind Marvels encourages is to incorporate mindfulness into their daily routine, again bringing about an awareness of feelings and building that emotional toolbox. Simple mindfulness exercises, like focusing on their breath or being present in the moment, daily gratitude and positive affirmations. Read our blog on mindfulness activities here for inspiration. 

4. Focus on your happiness

We all know the benefits of having enough sleep, a balanced diet, and exercising, but most of all, we should be doing the things that make us happy! Following your passions and practising self-care are great models for those around you to emulate. Encourage the kids to find the things that bring them joy. This also teaches them how to live independently and have some autonomy, which is both healthy and fulfilling. 

5. Do things for others

There is a balance between people pleasing and helping others to contribute to a better society. It’s essential to learn how to look after your wellbeing and still feel fulfilled by helping a friend, family or neighbour. It’s such a good life lesson to introduce kids to a bit of volunteering in the community, helping others with shopping or gardening, for example. There may be opportunities with local community groups or through school. 

Something that Mind Marvels encourages is to incorporate mindfulness into their daily routine, again bringing about an awareness of feelings and building that emotional toolbox

These five happiness building blocks—building a strong connection, organising family activities, teaching emotional regulation, focusing on your happiness, and teaching children the positive benefit of doing things for others—are a great start to shifting their (and your) overall mood and making you smile!