One of the things I’ve loved about starting Kids Who Shine is how it has energised our family. Our freebies, parent sheets and activity books have been tried and tested at home. Isa (our eldest) is 6 years old and it lights me up on the inside when she comes home excited to see our latest activities. She’s keen to see how our creations have transformed! It becomes a new activity for her to do. She sits at the kitchen bench while I’m preparing dinner and does the activity; and we talk about. It truly ignites the best conversations! She’s often keen to share the freebies with her friends and takes them to school for some of her buddies.
While the twins are three, and a little young to understand, I know they are listening and will often ask to do the worksheet too (by do, I mean colour them in/maybe do a drawing unrelated to the theme 😂. However, they are listening, and can often contribute more than I expect!! Adi exclaimed that running under the sprinkler makes her happy!
STRENGTH BASED PARENTING
What’s joy and happiness got to so with strength-based parenting?
Activities like this create moments of joy and happiness (it lifts our mood and enhances our ability to cultivate positive emotions) - isn't this what every parent wants?
As a strength-based parent, it gives me even further insight into what my girls enjoy doing and how this might be an expression of their strengths and/or talents. Isa talked about creating (creativity), she talked about working through a problem (strategy and perseverance), she said spending time with friends and family - especially her cousins – (love). This insight is so valuable. It then gives me the opportunity to talk with her about what else she can do to build these strengths. We can plan new activities, try different things and use them when she is struggling with friendships or other problems that arise. In-val-uable!
These resources we have inside of us are so important to develop!
HABITS
You know the saying… “We are the things we repeatedly do”
Things we repeatedly do become our habits. Our freebies are designed to help our kids create great habits; habits to build their happiness and well-being. And to make parenting easier and more enjoyable for you! They create opportunities for new conversations at home, a lens of what’s working brings you energy. A time to share and connect, all the while they are creating and building these resourceful neural pathways. Our themes repeat, from a different view and in a different way. Each time strengthening your child’s ability to be able to ‘lean’ on the resources they are growing when required (hello resilience!).
THE SCIENCE
Our themes link into to various research elements of PERMA – V model/positive psychology. Which is a well-being model created by the forefather of positive psychology, Martin Seligman. PERMA stands for:
Positive Emotions - Positive emotions are all about our ability to cultivate and use our positive emotions to build our well-being.
Engagement - Our ability to experience flow – to lose track of time while engaged in activity. Which is exactly what’s happening when we use our strengths and talents effectively!
Relationships – Positive relationships and human connection are core to our existence and necessary for well-being. It is important for our kids to be provided with and to provide love, kindness, affection to others to enable positive relationships with friends, parents, siblings and the broader community.
Meaning - Meaning is how we understand both ourselves and our world and how the two interact together.
Achievement – Achieving goals, celebrating the achievements, learning from them. Building our sense of ‘Can Do’. Building our Hope and
and
Vitality (this one was added by Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, a former student of Martin Seligman). Vitality is all about taking care of ourselves. Creating healthy mind and healthy bodies. To me it is very much the practice of self-care and positive self-talk.
Our activities (and blog) are created to help families have conversations that count, conversations that lift your energy and build both your well-being and the well-being of our kids. Creating, Kids Who Shine!
So, if you haven’t already, register for your freebies.