“I’m feeling sad Mom” answered my son when I asked him why he was skulking around the house instead of playing with his sister or reading a book.
Sad? I gazed at him gob smacked. How could a nine year old possibly be sad? And that too in the middle of the summer holidays! I stopped agonizing over the presentation I had been agonizing over for the last 24675 minutes and sat him down for a little heart-to-heart. Turned out he was at a loose end, his days didn’t really have any structure now that the holidays had begun, he had read all the books I’d got him, his friends were travelling and his sister was busy with Grown Up Teen Stuff that didn’t always include him. The sweltering Mumbai heat and the ad hoc screen time (whenever I wasn’t alert enough!) hadn’t helped matters any.
I took him out for a swim and ice cream and my usually sunny boy’s optimistic disposition was back in no time. We also did some brainstorming on what we could do to fill in the endlessly long summer days and came up with a plan that would do the trick. Turns out, long lazy summer days are good in theory (and poems), but you also need some structure and planning!
Are your kids at a loose end during the holidays too? Or perhaps they’re just experiencing a touch of the blues? Here are 7 simple things you can start doing right away to up your kids’ happiness quotient. They’re super simple and easy to incorporate into your schedule, one day at a time!
Monday: Eat
Eat together. Family meals are a great way to stay connected with your kids while catching up on the day’s happenings. Even if you can’t eat all your meals together, aim for at least one a day.
Tuesday: Play
Let your kids play! Build in some time for unstructured play or, for older kids, any (non screen) activity they love.
Wednesday: Swap Out Screens
Swap out 15 mins of screen time for a walk outdoors, a board or card game with the entire family or just listening to music. We’ve started doing this regularly on weeknights and it works wonders. A 15 minute game of Uno Flip or Dobble is easy to work in even on weeknights, and let’s face it, most of us spend that amount of time mindlessly scrolling through Instagram anyway!
Thursday: Work Out
Get in 20 minutes of any exercise or sport that you love and get those endorphins pumping. Even better if you can all get moving together. A walk in the park while your kids cycle, maybe?
Friday: Practise Gratitude
At your family meal, ask everyone to share one good thing that happened to them during the day, that they are grateful for.
Saturday: Schedule
Be disciplined. Take time out to plan a broad schedule for the next week that everyone can commit to. That way you will be able to work in all the things above. Plan one fun thing for the week that everyone loves and can look forward to. Ice cream on Wednesday nights is what we’re doing at ours this month!
Sunday: Walk The Talk
Get happy yourself, because happy parents make for happy kids! Re-discover a hobby you loved, get out in nature, catch up with friends or learn something you’ve always wanted to. Your joy and enthusiasm is bound to rub off on your children. What’s more, they can look up to you as an inspirational role model.
Are there any happiness habits for children that you’d like to add to the list? Tell us in the comments below or hit us up on Instagram!