Cultivating joy as a family

The pandemic has been hard on families. There has been so much loss, so much hardship, so much stress, and so much change. What makes it even harder is that there is so much uncertainty about when and how it will end; our lives, and the lives of our children, are going to be disrupted for the foreseeable future. There is so much we cannot control in all of this that it’s easy to lose sight of what we can control. One thing we absolutely can do is cultivate small moments of joy in each and every day. It doesn’t have to be a lot, or anything fancy or complicated. That’s the thing about joy: it can be very simple. Children have a great capacity for joy. It doesn’t take much to make them happy. It’s even easier to make them happy if you do something with them — which can have the added benefit of making parents happy too, as the joy of children can be infectious. Bringing the joy Here are some ideas for simple, fun things you can do as a family that can bring joy. You can adapt them to the age and temperament of your child. Play board games. If you feel like it, change the rules (which may make them more accessible for younger children). You can even make up your own board game, with some cardboard and markers and whatever you want to use for board game pieces. Bake! There’s nothing like making sweets to make everyone happy. A box of brownie mix or premade cookie dough is fine. Nobody is going to judge you. Paint and draw. If you can, go outside and do it. Build th...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Mental Health Parenting Source Type: blogs