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ae/
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
Cne sLudy found LhaL feellng loved by uad was even more lmporLanL for klds wellbelng,
happiness and life satisfaction than feeling loved by Mom.
The Most Effective Dads


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The Dangers of Rejection
When klds feel re[ecLed or unloved by Lhelr parenLs, Lheyre more llkely Lo be hosLlle,
aggressive, and emotionally unstable.
Youre Happiness Matters
A moms saLlsfacLlon wlLh her llfe ls more lmporLanL Lo a young chllds soclal and 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
When parenLlng sLyles arenL sulLed Lo a chllds personallLy, Lhe kld ls Lwlce as llkely Lo be
anxious or depressed.
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Kids are More Resilient than We Think
80 of klds who experlence Lhelr parenLs separaLlon or dlvorce uCn1 go on Lo have
psychological problems.
Many kids whose parents maintain respectful communication and cooperation to the best of
their ability
However Take Off the Boing 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 Das
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.
8amford, C., LagaLLuLa, k.P (2011) Looklng on Lhe brlghL slde: Chlldrens knowledge abouL Lhe beneflLs of poslLlve vs. negaLlve 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.
kelly, !.8., Lmery, 8.L (2003) Chlldrens ad[usLmenL 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.8. (2006) 1he effecLs of sporLs parLlclpaLlon on young adolescenLs emoLlonal well-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 eL al. (2012) keep on keeplng on, even when lLs hard! !ournal of Larly Adolescence".
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., uweck, C.. (1998) ralse for lnLelllgence Can undermlne Chlldrens
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-separaLlon paLernal lnvolvemenL and chlldrens emoLlonal wellbelng. !ournal of lamlly Ludles.
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/