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Healthy Kids
Secrets to a Joyful Childhood
Building a Family That Laughs and Loves Together by Christina Connors
of emotions, including sadness, anger and frustration. To me, creating a joyful home means that, as a family, we practice accepting and holding all of our emotions through joyful play, deep connection and creativity.” “Everything starts in the home, and
our kids take their cues from their parents and caregivers,” says Harmony Longenecker, founder of Te Classical Academy of Sarasota, in Florida, a private pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade classical liberal arts school. “It is important to model for our kids how to be grateful, generous and joyful, and doing things together as a family fosters those qualities.” A systematic review of research published
in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health suggests that positive family dynamics like cohesion and communication strongly predict the happiness of children and adolescents. Here are some ways to incorporate joy in the home to benefit the whole family.
of a little one at bedtime. When these life-affirming moments are consistent and shared among a family, such heartfelt and abiding contentment can be considered a type of joy that becomes second nature, impacting children in enduring ways.
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here are no sweeter sounds than the giggles of a child playing with a puppy or the giddy singing voice
“Joy is the building block for developing
resilience, improving mental health and supporting cognitive performance,” says Dr. Chanie Messinger, a Brooklyn-based occupational therapist, educator and motivational speaker. “It’s important to remember that our ability to experience joy is directly dependent upon our ability to be open to experiencing all the rainbow
Reduce smartphone use. Children thrive whenever their parents and other family members are fully present in their lives. When spending time together, it is vital to remove distractions as a way of enabling and deepening the connection to one another. Eliminating or reducing smartphone use during family time is an important first step. To learn more, Longenecker recommends reading Te Opt-Out Family: How to Give Your Kids What Technology Can’t, by Erin Loechner.
Champion a gratitude jar. Encourage everyone to write down what they are thankful for on pieces of paper and drop them into a large jar. Once a week, invite
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