All humans have had difficult moments, a day, a week or even a month. These are processes that are part of human life: in the face of difficulties, we evolve or we perish.
The effects of optimistic thinking are scientifically documented. For example, a study by the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville published in 2010 concludes that being optimistic about success in a specific and important domain can promote better immunity against some infections.
In the case of children it is not very different.
How to train optimistic children?
The Spanish philosopher Elsa Punset proposes this project that can be done with children: The bottle of happiness.
- It is an ideal technique to do as a family. Both you and your children choose a large glass jar. It will be the jar of happiness. You can write it with a marker and place it in a visible place in the house.
- Every day, everyone, parents and children, will have to write the best thing that happened to each of them during that day and write it down on a piece of paper. They can be simple things. A kind word, a smile or an exam that went better than expected… When writing it, it will be recorded in the brain even if we don’t realize it. The paper is folded and inserted into the jar.
- At approximately 6 months, or when the bottle is already full, the papers are removed and all the positive messages are read as a family.
Results
- The child will learn to reflect on the good things that happen to him throughout the day.
- The child will learn to appreciate those small details that often go unnoticed. Every time your child writes down something nice that happened to him, he will remember it. The brain remembers negative things sooner because anguish makes us turn it over and over again. Positive things go unnoticed. However, when writing them and reading them again soon after, they will remain fixed in the memory.
- The child will learn to differentiate the small problems from the really important ones.
- The child will learn to be grateful.
- It will improve communication within the family.
Do you dare to make the bottle of happiness?
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