How to help raise a smart and HAPPY child!

Parents, both newbies and experienced ones, are totally dedicated to their children. It does not matter much if they can spend hours on end with them, or if they can only share a couple of hours during the week days and then enjoy them fully on Saturdays or Sundays: the truth is that mums and dads enjoy being with their kids. This is especially true with children from zero to five. 

During these years, children are eager to explore the world around them and learn new things, develop new skills and grow as more independent human beings. Experts in child development agree on the fact that from the moment the child is born until he reaches the fifth year of age, he accomplishes some of the most significant milestones of his growing up process. He learns how to speak, starts interacting with other children, learns to control when and where to toilet, learns how to walk and develop a wide variety of both motor and mental gross and fine skills that he will then have to put into practice later on in his life. 

Parents are devoted to ensuring their child is both smart and happy. However, many of them don’t know how or where to start in order to raise children that are both intellectually sharp but also happy and with a positive outlook towards life. Hopefully, these tips will be very useful for them.

• Make your child embrace the idea of learning in a positive way even if she cannot grasp the concept at all. She does not need to understand it from an intellectual or academic point of view as she is still too young for that. Provide her with plenty of learning opportunities and learning challenges every day and repeat those experiences on a regular basis.

• Remember that learning should be and needs to be fun for a child from zero to five.  Children that age mostly learn through playing so it is extremely important that you provide him or her with a wide variety of games and educational toys that allow the child to let his imagination fly,  express his creativity, solve conflicts, make decisions, discover things by himself and feel both challenged and rewarded. Educational toys are definitely the best option, but you have to make sure they are not only suitable for his or her age range but also attractive to the child.

• Feed your child properly. Make sure the child enjoys a well balanced and nutritious diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products and diverse sources of protein. Parents should not only worry about making the dishes visually attractive but also tasteful. I wrote a full article on this you can read HERE.

• A smart and happy child is also the result of the experiences he is offered to enjoy. Make sure he is actively engaged in recreational activities he or she likes, even if he is a very little baby. In fact, even a short walk round the nearby park in a pram can be a great learning and funny experience for a baby!

• And, our CleverStuff mantra - play WITH your child! You are their favourite toy. Play with them, roll around, laugh, paint, create, explore and just spend time. They will learn so much from you - not just language and academic skills either. They will also learn to be confident, resourceful, imaginative and most of all HAPPY. 

What are your best tips for helping your child be happy and healthy?