The Development Of Children S Happiness And Success

This engaging book is a comprehensive exploration of children's happiness and success covering a wide range of factors influencing positive functioning. It offers a holistic view of children’s well-being, identifying both threats and catalysts to happiness and success, as well as evidence-based strategies that promote optimal functioning. The first section of the book delves into the science of happiness, discussing the role of early social relationships, the importance of experiencing positive emotions and flow, spirituality, and physical health. The second section focuses on the science of success, exploring topics such as mindsets, self-control, and executive functions. Finally, the book explores individual and contextual factors explaining why character matters, the influence of media and technology, and the critical role of disadvantaged environments. Presenting happiness as an ongoing journey, intertwined with the pursuit and achievement of personal goals, the book concludes by proposing a new conceptual framework which identifies pivotal contributors to children's happiness and success such as relationships, self-regulation, and competence. Suited to upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in child development, family studies, education, and positive psychology, this book is also an invaluable resource for caregivers, educators, and child practitioners. It is a must-read for anyone interested in cultivating a fulfilling, well-lived life for children and adolescents.

This engaging book is a comprehensive exploration of children's happiness and success covering a wide range of factors influencing positive functioning. It offers a holistic view of children's well-being, identifying both threats and catalysts to happiness and success, as well as evidence-based strategies that promote optimal functioning. The first section of the book delves into the science of happiness, discussing the role of early social relationships, the importance of experiencing positive emotions and flow, spirituality, and physical health. The second section focuses on the science of success, exploring topics such as mindsets, self-control, and executive functions. Finally, the book explores individual and contextual factors explaining why character matters, the influence of media and technology, and the critical role of disadvantaged environments. Presenting happiness as an ongoing journey, intertwined with the pursuit and achievement of personal goals, the book concludes by proposing a new conceptual framework which identifies pivotal contributors to children's happiness and success such as relationships, self-regulation, and competence. Suited to upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in child development, family studies, education, and positive psychology, this book is also an invaluable resource for caregivers, educators, and child practitioners. It is a must-read for anyone interested in cultivating a fulfilling, well-lived life for children and adolescents.

Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

Every parent wants his or her child to be happy and grow into a productive, fulfilled adult . . . and according to parenting expert Maureen Healy, the secret to that success is in providing a foundation of inner confidence. Parents and teachers know that confidence and inner strength are important attributes, but in an era where self-worth is often measured by possessions and attractiveness, most have no idea how to model true inner confidence for their kids or how to help them cultivate it. Real power—or inner confidence—is necessary to overcome obstacles, pursue our unique dreams, and be truly happy. Maureen Healy, a spiritual teacher with twenty years of experience as a child development expert, literally traveled the world from the Bronx to the base of the Himalayas to learn the connection between inner confidence and lasting happiness, and she shares that wealth of knowledge in Growing Happy Kids. Combining her Buddhist training, her background in child psychology, and the latest scientific research, Maureen shares her revolutionary model that defines inner confidence and cultivates a child's sense of optimism and connection. She explores each part of her system, which she called The Five Building Blocks of Confidence, with the mind of a scientist, yet the softness of a real parent who wants to raise strong, happy children. By using those building blocks—biology, beliefs, emotions, social, and spiritual—parents, teachers, and anyone who touches the life of a child can gain the skills necessary to foster happy kids who are strong, self-reliant, and confident. "In Growing Happy Kids, Maureen Healy has given us rich and valuable tools to assist us in honoring and supporting our children in building their self-confidence and helping them become happier. It is a MUST read for all parents, educators, and people who care." —Edwene Gaines, author of The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity "Drawing on her own extensive research and experience, Maureen Healy wisely leads parents and caregivers into the heart of awakening and activating the innate confidence with which every child is born. This is a book that parents will read over and over again." —Michael Bernard Beckwith, author of Spiritual Liberation: Fulfilling Your Soul's Potential

What do we wish most for our children? Next to being healthy, we want them to be happy, of course! Fortunately, a wide array of scientific studies show that happiness is a learned behavior, a muscle we can help our children build and maintain. Drawing on what psychology, sociology, and neuroscience have proven about confidence, gratefulness, and optimism, and using her own chaotic and often hilarious real-world adventures as a mom to demonstrate do’s and don’ts in action, Christine Carter, Ph.D, executive director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, boils the process down to 10 simple happiness-inducing steps. With great wit, wisdom, and compassion, Carter covers the day-to-day pressure points of parenting—how best to discipline, get kids to school and activities on time, and get dinner on the table—as well as the more elusive issues of helping children build healthy friendships and develop emotional intelligence. In these 10 key steps, she helps you interact confidently and consistently with your kids to foster the skills, habits, and mindsets that will set the stage for positive emotions now and into their adolescence and beyond. Inside you will discover • the best way avoid raising a brat—changing bad habits into good ones • tips on how to change your kids’ attitude into gratitude • the trap of trying to be perfect—and how to stay clear of its pitfalls • the right way to praise kids—and why too much of the wrong kind can be just as bad as not enough • the spirit of kindness—how to raise kind, compassionate, and loving children • strategies for inspiring kids to do boring (but necessary) tasks—and become more self-motivated in the process Complete with a series of “try this” tips, secrets, and strategies, Raising Happiness is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you instill joy in your kids—and, in the process, become more joyful yourself.

Here, at last, is a book brimming with the good news of raising children—the basic reassuring news about happiness and unconditional love, about enduring family connections and kids who grow up right. Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., father of three and a clinical psychiatrist, has thought long and hard about what makes children feel good about themselves and the world they live in. Now, in The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness, Dr. Hallowell shares his findings with all of us who care about children. As Dr. Hallowell argues, we don’t need statistical studies or complicated expert opinions to raise children. What we do need is love, wonder, and the confidence to trust our instincts. This inspiring book outlines a 5-step plan that all parents can use in giving their children the gift of happiness that will last a lifetime. Connection, play, practice, mastery, and recognition: as fundamental as these five concepts are, they hold the key to raising children with healthy self-esteem, moral awareness, and spiritual values. Dr. Hallowell explores each step in depth and shows how they work together to foster trust, respect, and joy. Privilege, wealth, and expensive “extras” are not necessary for happiness—there are many stories here of children who have overcome poverty, abandonment, and shocking deprivation to find true fulfillment. Dr. Hallowell encourages us as parents to reconnect with the moments in our own childhoods that made a difference; he explores the impact of genetics and environmental factors on the inner workings of a child’s mind; and he discusses how activities like team sports, community service, religious observance, and household chores can foster a child’s sense of mastery. Like the works of T. Berry Brazelton and Benjamin Spock, The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness is infused with the wisdom and humanity of a doctor who truly loves and understands children. Writing with the warmth of a friend and the authority of an expert, Dr. Hallowell gives us a book at once practical and exuberant, joyous and informative, eye-opening and reassuring. Ultimately, this book is a celebration of childhood and of the magic that happens between parents and the children they love.

As parents, we are always searching for ways to raise our children smarter, better, and happier. What you are about to read is a different kind of parenting book with its unique insights that can last for a lifetime... Using storytelling to convey the message, Dr. Andrew Watson, and Dr. Charles Watson, Ph.D., wrote an engaging and fun-to-read translation of the best research on the field of effective parenting and child development. The Steps: 12 Secrets to Raising Happy and Successful Kids is an amusing and enlightening story of Estela, a hard-nosed journalist in search of answers to the struggling education system. Eager to understand what works and what can be done better, Estela stumbles upon a young boy with Down syndrome. To her surprise, he can read better than half of the adults she knows. Intrigued with the exceptional ability of the boy, she finds out that he attends the Awake Clinic, where Dr. Michael Jansen, a world-renowned neurologist, works. There, Estela discovers about the Steps, an innovative protocol based on the recent advances of neuroscience and psychology. The Steps targets the development of communication and language of the child, early reading, creativity, self-control, discipline, grit, and values, among other things, to give the right tools to promote the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills of the baby, the child, and the adolescent, producing highly successful adults with above-average abilities.Dr. Michael Jansen decides to share with Estela the 12 Steps from the protocol. In the meantime, she finds out about her pregnancy. What better time to find out if the Steps really work?

Based on twenty-five years of research on friendship, Dr. Kenneth H. Rubin reveals the importance of children's social development to their emotional and intellectual growth—and future success. In The Friendship Factor he uses vivid case studies to differentiate normal development from potential problems and real distress, exploring how to: Distinguish between a solitary child and a lonely child Encourage the development of "popularity-as-likability," not "dominance" Help an easily angered child be less aggressive Increase a child's social ability with specific skills and strategies