Giving your children healthy, happy childhoods could set them up for success in life. Many parents wonder how to raise happy children. Happy kids don’t mean having to give them immediate gratification and don’t need a lot of money. Happy kids have a skill-set that will let them enjoy long-term happiness. They’re will learn to pass up gratification in an effort to reach their goals. You can help your kids to develop those skills by adopting healthy habits. 

Encourage Outdoor Play

Never underestimate the power of outdoor play. Running on grass, playing on playground equipment, climbing trees, and digging in the dirt is good for children. 

In fact, some of the scents that are associated with nature, such as cut grass and pine trees, can boost your child’s mood. You could encourage your kids to do their homework on the porch or take a book outside to give them an instant lift in happiness. 

Playing outside can also help to improve the social skills of kids. Children who spent more time playing outside gave more empathy, engagement, and self-control, which are all critical social skills. Children who have better social skills are also more likely to have healthier relationships. 

Outdoor play is great for their health too, although look out for signs of asthma if your kids are playing outside. If you are concerned, take them to see an asthma specialist. 

Limit Screen Time

Your child might tell you that playing hours and hours of video games will make them happy. However, too much screentime is actually bad for your child’s well-being. Those who spend less time on their digital devices and more on time activities without a screen, like sports, homework, religious services, and other in-person activities are generally much happier. 

Set some clear limits on your child’s screen time. If your child has a smartphone, limit their access to it when you are doing activities as a family, traveling in the car, or when they are playing outside. Set clear guidelines about how much time they can spend using the computer and watching TV too. 

Practice Gratitude

Incorporating gratitude into your everyday lives could help your children to be happier, healthier people. However, you should keep in mind that there is a lot of difference between forcing a thank you and genuinely meaning it. 

People who know how to practice gratitude tend to have better relationships, which could be the key to leading a happier life. One of the best ways to help your children to become genuinely grateful is by modeling gratitude yourself. 

Make sure you express sincere gratitude and let your kids see you saying thank you when you are grateful for someone else. Expressing gratitude for the good things that your children do will also help them to learn to do the same. 

Make it a family habit to talk about the things that you feel grateful for. At the dinner table or at bedtime, choose three things that you’re grateful for or talk about what you’re grateful for from the day. This will help your kids to learn to look for good things that they can feel grateful for in their daily lives. 

Make sure your children send thank you notes too. Instead of just letting them sign their name on a generic note, encourage them to identify something specific that he wants to thank someone for. You can send thank you notes for more than gifts too. You could suggest they write a thank you note to their teacher for helping them during the school year, or to a coach who has been particularly kind. 

Have High But Reasonable Expectations

It isn’t much fun to spend hours studying for tests or practicing a musical instrument, but kids who strive to do hard things are more likely to live happier lives. The expectations you have can have a big impact on how willing your child is to challenge themselves. Your children will work hard to meet your expectations as long as your expectations are reasonable. 

When parents have high academic expectations of their children, children do better in school and will stick to tough tasks for longer. High expectations are linked to scholastic and social resilience. 

Don’t expect perfection. Setting the bar too high is likely to backfire. Expecting your child to be perfect could increase their risk of developing mental health issues. Your child might also give up on the goals you set for them if they feel that you have set the bar too high.