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The Science of Raising Happy Kids

The Importance of Being Nurturing

Kids with nurturing moms have bigger brains. A study found that preschoolers with nurturing,

supportive moms have a 10% larger hippocampus (the part of the brain that handles stress and

memory) by the time they get to school age.

–Love from Dad Matters

O e stud fou d that feeli g lo ed Dad as e e ore i porta t for kids’ ell ei g, happiness and life satisfaction than feeling loved by Mom.

The Most Effective Dads

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The Dangers of Rejection

Whe kids feel reje ted or u lo ed their pare ts, the ’re ore likel to e hostile, aggressive, and emotionally unstable.

You’re Happiness Matters

A o ’s satisfa tio ith her life is ore i porta t to a ou g hild’s so ial a d emotional

skills than:

Spend Some Time on Yourself

The Importance of Optimism

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Praise Kids for Effort, Not Brains

Children praise for their abilities or intelligence, rather than their efforts, have a harder time

coping with failure.

Kids praised for efforts are more likely to enjoy challenging tasks and show more motivation.

Skip the One-Size-Fits-All Approach

Whe pare ti g st les are ’t suited to a hild’s perso alit , the kid is t i e as likel to e anxious or depressed.

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Kids are More Resilient than We Think

% of kids ho e perie e their pare ts’ separatio or di or e DON’T go o to ha e psychological problems.

Many kids whose parents maintain respectful communication and cooperation to the best of

their ability

However… Take Off the Bo ing Gloves

How you argue matters. Compared to kids with less-hostile parents, kids who grow up with

parental conflict:

Kids Want Meaningful Lives, Too

Even an 8-year-olds are happier if they feel their lives have meaning

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Encourage Generosity

Performing kind acts made pre-teens happier and better liked by their classmates, too.

Simple acts of kindness for kids:

Kids These Da s…

Have 8 fewer hours of free, unstructured playtime than they had 20 years ago

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Encourage kids to Get Physical

Playing sports on a team or just for fun makes kids happier and better behaved

Get Off the Couch

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Which Countries Have Happy Kids?

REF:

Luby, J.L. et al. (2012) Maternal support in early childhood predicts larger hippocampal volumes at school age. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Rohner, R.P., Khaleque, A. (2012) Transnational relations between perceived parental acceptance and personality dispositions of children and adults. Personality and Social Psychology Review.

Ba ford, C., Lagattuta, K.H Looki g o the right side: Childre ’s k o ledge a out the e efits of positi e s. egative thinking. Child Development.

Kiff, K.J., Lengua, L.J., Bush, N.R. (2011) Temperament variation in sensitivity to parenting:

Predicting changes in depression and anxiety. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.

Kell , J.B., E er , R.E Childre ’s adjust e t following divorce: Risk and resilience perspectives. Family Relations.

Holder er al. (2008) Spirituality, religiousness, and happiness in children aged 8-12 years. Journal of Happiness Studies.

Aknin, L.B., Hamlin, J.K., Dunn, E.W(2012) Giving leads to happiness in young children. PLOS ONE.

American Psychological Association

Donaldson, S.J., Ronan, K.R. 6 The effe ts of sports parti ipatio o ou g adoles e ts’ e otio al ell-being. Adolescence.

Primack, B.A et al (2009) Association between media use in adolescence and depression in young adulthood. Archives of General Psychiatry. .

Global Kids Happiness Index. The Marketing Store. (2013)

Padilla-Walker, L.M et al. Keep o keepi g o , e e he it’s hard! Jour al of Earl Adoles e e . Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman

The German Institute for Economic Research

Berger, E.M., Spiess, C.K. (2009) Maternal life satisfaction and child outcomes: Are they related?

Mueller, C.M., D e k, C.“. Praise for I tellige e Ca U der i e Childre ’s

Motivation and Performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Duckworth, A.L., Seligman, M.E.P. (2005) Self-discipline outdoes IQ in predicting academic performance of adolescents. Psychological Science.

Musick, K., Meier, A. (2010) Are both parents always better than one? Parental conflict and young adult well-being. Social Science Research.

Baxter, J., Weston, R., Qu, L. (2011) Family structure, co-parental relationship quality, post-separatio pater al i ol e e t a d hildre ’s e otio al ell ei g. Jour al of Fa il “tudies. Ginsburg, K.R. (2007) The Importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics.

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About the Site

Afterschool.ae is the largest dedicated provider of quality on-site after school activities, programs,

tutoring, summer camps, sports and child care services in United Arab Emirates.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Please visit http://afterschool.ae/