The Benefits of Building Friendships

We normally think about our children’s friends as other children whom they play and have fun with, like Casey Rose and the Joybug. But, friends play a more important role in your child’s emotional, social and academic development. They can promote positive and happy emotions.

Friends help your child do better in school. Research conducted through UNC-Chapel Hill showed that, even for students in the first grade, interactions with peers and academic achievement are linked to each other. Further research revealed that, as early as 3 – 5 years of age, peers have an influence on the literacy and language skills of children, and helps them learn freely and joyfully each day.

Friends help your child become a better person. Self-confidence, generosity, and social competence are among the traits that are positively related to having friends. On the flip side, research has shown that children with psychiatric problems have a limited circle of friends, and do not participate often in activities with friends.

The type of friendship changes as a child grows up. Pre-school, children become friends by spending a lot of play time together, sharing toys, and enjoying the same activities. Research shows that when the child enters school, the time spent with peers triples. Children at this age tend to make friends with others of similar gender, age, race, beliefs and attitudes.Joy Kids Making Friends

A “best friend” is somewhat different for a child as time passes. Ask a pre-schooler who his best friends are and the list gets longer until he reaches 11 years old. Then he becomes more choosey. In one oft-cited study, children in the first grade mentioned having common activities as their reason for considering someone a best friend. By the time they reach the eighth grade, the most important criteria for a best friend became the person’s character. Other criteria were: common activities, loyalty, commitment and acceptance. Interestingly enough, none of the children in the study mentioned physical attractiveness as a reason for choosing a best friend. Casey Rose is outgoing and curious, she’s eager to explore the unique universe around her with her best friend, the Joybug.

 

Teaching Your Child Teamwork

As Casey Rose and the Joybug know, everyone needs to learn teamwork, and childhood is the best time to start. Many activities have been devised to teach children teamwork and make it fun in the process. These activities are easily accessible online for free. One good source is http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/1045. In general, these team building activities fall into these categories.  daily_joytip_16

  • Games for children, as individuals or in groups are a great way to share the joy together. They highlight the benefits of teamwork through play, and demonstrate that in order to succeed, you must work together.
  • Arts and crafts projects is the Joybug’s favorite category. These activities encourage children to use their artistic skills as a team, in order to produce items like T-shirts, pictograms, quilts, and other things that require cooperative efforts.
  • Literary projects. Creating stories, poems, posters and other items through group effort is used to teach children how to cooperate with each other in achieving creative results.
  • Problem-solving exercises. This type of activity involves getting children to create and solve problems, and develop critical thinking. Coming up with options and solutions through teamwork is an important part of activities in this category.

While most team building activities for children are done in school, many of these can be used at home, or in the neighborhood to foster cooperation among children, and reinforce what they learn in the classroom.

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Creating Happy Childhoods

What makes your childhood a happy one?

The Irish writer John Connolly put it very vividly when he wrote: “For in every adult there dwells the child that was, and in every child there lies the adult that will be.” That’s why a happy and joyful childhood is so important for your child to become a happy adult. But what goes into the making of a happy childhood? Research has shown, and Joy Kids Universe believe that it’s not so much the childhood events that make a happy childhood; it’s how you perceive them as an adult. Here’s what’s important when you look back on your childhood.

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  1. Social activities count more. The impression of a happy childhood stems more from social activities than from solitary ones. Having a party on special occasions creates an impression of a happy childhood, whereas getting toys or games does not. Likewise, bonding with family members contributes more to the impression of a happy childhood than things like playing video games or hiking and fishing. Live life joyfully!
  2. Peer acceptance matters. Even the way childhood problems are looked at involves the social aspect. Having health or school problems as a child are not viewed as an unhappy childhood. However, quarreling parents, being bullied, or left out leave an impression of an unhappy childhood. Casey Rose is so happy to have the Joybug by her side!
  3. Sharing = Happiness. The research shows that not making the team, or receiving an award don’t matter so much. For a grownup, it’s more how these were shared with, and appreciated by family and friends that make for a happy childhood.
  4. Remember, thinking happy thoughts is easy!  Ask Casey Rose and the Joybug!

 

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