Ten tips to raise happy children

October 13, 2020

Moody? Feeling grumpy? We all experience these emotions sometimes. Being happy is not always easy. Our children face similar challenges. Nexus International School offers you an expert’s guide to helping your child become a more positive person.

Research reveals that when it comes to our happiness, only 10% is influenced by what goes on around us. A whopping 90% though is determined by how we decide to view what life throws at us.

A glass half empty or half full?

What it boils down to, is that there are two ways in which you can choose to live your life – you can be reactive or proactive. A proactive person will acknowledge that they can’t control a situation, but they can control how they choose to see it and find a way to manage the problem. Whereas a ‘glass half empty’ or reactive type of person will always just look for someone else to blame and do nothing to help themselves.

The path to discovering a happy, healthy mindset

Claire Waller is Head of Primary, at Nexus International School in Kuala Lumpur and herself a mother of three. She shares with us her secrets of success when it comes to helping children overcome challenges, become resilient and look on the brighter side of life.

Nexus 12 - Happy Go KL — Claire Waller, Head of Primary, at Nexus International School in Kuala Lumpur

Try to accept the fact that you can’t control the world around you, but you can control how you react to the things that happen.
According to Dr Andy Cope, parents are the single most significant influence and important part of a child’s life. Children copy their parents’ behaviour, so it’s important you lead by example. Deal with your own problems the way you want them to.
Resist the temptation to fill every minute of every day with a strict, intensive program of after school activities and tutoring. Instead make time for them to have fun, let their imaginations run riot and get creative. Put the gadgets away and just play!
Kindness can be highly contagious. Make a point of regularly asking your child what kind act they’ve done that day and sharing with them what you’ve done to spread happiness. This will encourage them to do good things and witness the positive impact it can have on the lives of others.
If your child is not getting on with someone at school, don’t keep highlighting the issue. You may inadvertently be making the situation worse by constantly reminding them about it.
Try not to dwell on something that has happened in the past. Beating yourself or someone else up about an incident won’t change anything. So try and find a way to move on.
Studies show that the first three minutes in the morning, the time when you greet your child after school and the last three minutes at night will set the tone of their mood (and therefore yours). If they start the day with a positive mindset – they’ll be more positive throughout the day.
A regular and early bedtime, combined with a balanced diet and lots of exercise can also work wonders to banish bad moods.
When children are angry or stressed they no longer think logically, so don’t try and resolve issues during the heat of a battle. Sit down together when everyone is calm and find a solution that works for you both. Write down what’s agreed and then check that they’re keeping their end of the bargain.
Instead of using dinner time as an opportunity to spit out all that was wrong about your day, try using this family time as a moment to chew over all that went well. Ask each other what was good about your day. Talk about any challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

Virtual open day

Every learner is significant at Nexus. Our personalised approach to learning allows every learner to grow into the best version of themselves. Join our virtual open day on Friday 23 October at 4pm and Saturday 24 October at 10am to find out more about our Pre-school, Primary, Secondary and Pre-university IB Diploma programmes.

Open day highlights: