How to set up your child for a happy life (according to science)

Happy Tuesday!

An especially big welcome to the 8,355 parents who have joined us in the last week. We remain one of the fastest-growing parent communities on the internet with 62,000+ parents joining in our first two months since launch 🙌

In case you’re new here, Prequel is the free weekly newsletter for parents who want their kids to succeed. We give you weekly insights on how your children can get ahead ― in school and in life.

We’ve got lots to tell you, so let’s dive right in. Here’s what you’ll get today:

💡 Valuable things kids don’t learn in school

⚡️ 2 short lessons

🚀 3 tools to boost your teen’s productivity

💡 Valuable things kids don’t learn in school

When you ask parents what they want for their kids, the most common reply is usually that they want their children to be happy.

But few parents know how to actually raise happy kids. In fact, most people haven’t been taught that happiness is within their control at all. 

We’re usually taught that happiness is a result of disposition or external circumstances. But science has proven that we can affect our own happiness levels — and those of our children, too!

5 (scientifically proven!) ways to raise happy kids:

1. Help them build relationships

Multiple studies have found that social connection is one of the biggest factors affecting happiness.

In fact, studies have shown that people with strong relationships are happier and healthier — not just mentally, but physically, too!

To help kids have better relationships, we can teach them to improve their relationship management skills. A great one to start with is communication.

Try establishing a ritual with your child to talk about your feelings. Encourage them to share, but also make sure they listen to you, too. The ability to communicate and, in turn, listen is one of the most important skills in relationships!

2. Expect effort, not perfection

Research has shown that kids whose parents emphasized achievement over effort are more likely to have depression and anxiety. 

In fact, kids who were only praised for their intelligence were shown to be more likely to choose easier tasks over challenging ones — for fear of making a mistake and losing their identity of being “smart.”

Instead of expecting perfection, expect effort and growth mindset.

Encourage your kids to:

• Be present

• Remember that all people experience setbacks

• Create a kind inner voice, rather than a critical one

3. Help them practice gratitude

Gratitude has been shown again and again to make people happier. So have your child start by writing down three things they’re grateful for at the end of each day.

It doesn’t matter how large or small each thing is — the point is to train your child’s mind to notice the good, rather than dwell on the bad.

4. Allow your children to make their own choices.

Letting your kids set their own goals leads to kids that are more disciplined, focused, and able to make wiser decisions. Autonomy, or the sense of control that a person has over their life, can bring your child significant happiness and help them feel more motivated.

As your children get older, give them more freedom over their choices — they’ll be happier for it!

5. Help them do good in the world.

We know that being kind to others is a win-win situation — it makes others happy, but it brings the person who did the act of kindness happiness, too!

A great way to get started? Challenge everyone in your family to do one random act of kindness each day. Then, share what you each did that night at dinner.

⚡️ 2 Tutorials

1. 5 more lessons on leading a happier life from Yale’s most popular class (link)

2. How kids can use AI to enhance their education (not just plagiarize essays!) (link)

🚀 3 Tools To Boost Your Teen’s Productivity

1. Graphy — Instantly create stunning and interactive charts with a single text prompt

2. Tyles — AI-driven notes app that automatically sorts your knowledge

3. AI Text Classifier — predicts the likelihood that AI-generated a piece of text, such as ChatGPT

Thanks for reading!

Did you find this issue helpful? Let me know what you thought of today’s issue and what you’d like to see from us next time.

Until next time,
Ivy
CEO Prequel, BETA Camp, Apollo
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