Happiness 101

We know that a child’s daily quest is to be happy, to play and do fun things and to be loved and cared for, though for many kids this is an uphill journey every day. 

We also know that a child’s ability to learn and absorb information is greatly influenced by their emotional wellbeing and the feelings they have about themselves, others in their life and the big world they are beginning to discover. 

Prior to the age of six, research has shown, many negative self-limiting beliefs and pessimistic thought tendencies have already developed that will have an effect on the rest of a child’s life. This is evident in the rapidly increasing rate of clinically diagnosed childhood anxiety and depression.

The good news is that research in Positive Psychology and Subjective Well being, also referred to as the Science of Happiness, over the past few decades has shown that these beliefs and traits can be changed and taught. 

Kids can develop self-fulfilling beliefs, feelings of optimism about their life and their future and realize they truly can live their life to its absolute fullest, especially by starting now.

“Emotional Literacy is the foundation of happiness” says Dr. Christine Carter PhD, Executive Director of the Greater Good Science Center at University of California at Berkeley.

Happiness 101, written and developed by second grade teacher Irene Tortolini, gives  children in kindergarten through second grade an introduction into habits of happy thinking, feeling and being through hands on exercises where kids get to experience how their happy thoughts, feelings and actions actually make them feel. 

Using creative and motivating activities in only minutes per day, Happiness 101 starts to instill habits of being grateful, forgiving and caring for others and ourselves. 

We all need to feel a wide range of emotions for many reasons, both negative and positive, and Happiness 101 teaches children it is okay to feel these emotions.  We don’t use the word “bad” to describe emotions because all the emotions we feel are necessary and developing this understanding helps children realize they actually have control over their thoughts, feelings and actions.

COMING SOON…