How To Raise Happy Children The Danish Way

Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world, and this is because of the way they are raised. In this article we will talk about the basics of the Danish way of raising happy children.

In this article, we are going to see how to raise happy children the Danish way. All parents want their children to be happy; that’s one of our biggest concerns. Denmark has been one of the happiest countries in the world since 1973. And according to the authors of the book The Danish Way of Parenting , this is because of their way of parenting.

Jessica Joelle Alexander and Iben Dissing Sandahl argue that, according to their research and experiences, children are stronger and more emotionally secure and later become safe and happy adults who repeat the same parenting process with their children.

In this article we are therefore going to see how to raise happy children according to the method used in Denmark. There, optimism, empathy, value for things, togetherness, responsibility and disobedience make this method a success of parenting.

Raising happy children the Danish way

Danish therapist Iben Dissing and American psychologist Jessica Joelle Alexander studied the basics of the Danish method and what makes it one of the happiest countries in the world. From this study came their book The Danish Way of Parenting (English link)

In this book, they reveal the 6 basics for raising happy children. Children who are in touch with their emotions, have high self-esteem and always see the positive side of things.

Keys to raise happy children the Danish way

Teach them to play

Sometimes parents, in our desire for children to be the best at everything, forget the importance of play in their development. However, children should have time to play, explore, get dirty, run around, etc.

Through play, children learn about the world, play different roles and imagine things. And all this will greatly improve their ability to overcome problems and adapt to the various conditions they encounter.

We must avoid the excessive use of television, mobile phones and tablets – in short, of new technologies. This is because little ones do not develop their imagination.

Encourage their authenticity

Let them be themselves, don’t compare them to anyone else. They are authentic as they are. So let’s promote that individuality that makes them unique. That makes them happy children.

We must teach them that we are not all the same and that we all have our virtues and flaws. This makes us human, even though we are all imperfect. Observe and accept their feelings and emotions, and be honest with them and with others.

Focus on the positive things in situations

The Danish way also indicates that we should teach children to see situations from different points of view. Thus, they are able to find the positives that each situation can offer them, especially when something has not gone as they expected.

Here it is important to use positive language that helps them motivate themselves. In this way, we give them the tools to emerge victorious from any situation. And above all , they should focus more on the process than on the result. Sometimes the results are not what we expected, but we used the right process.

Creating Empathy

It is very important to teach children to put themselves in other people’s shoes. To understand how they might feel and of course to know that you are putting yourself in their shoes too. This will help them develop healthier relationships with others later on. These relationships will bring them greater well-being and happiness.

Don’t use ultimatums

We can’t solve situations based on ultimatums like “we’re going to do things my way because I said so and that’s it.” This expression, which we have all used, is not healthy at all when raising children.

For children it is essential that parents talk to them about our values, discuss what things are important in the family and why they should or should not do certain things.

Strengthening togetherness and hygge

Hygge (a Danish word) means sharing quality time with the people we love, friends, family, loved ones… That’s why it’s important that we encourage this concept in our children. We all need to have some time to spend with the family or with the people we love, enjoying the well-being that this brings us.

About raising happy children the Danish way

As you may have seen, it really isn’t that hard to raise happy children the Danish way. Keeping these keys in mind will surely promote your children’s happiness, which is the most important thing parents can do. So let’s put it into practice!