What We Can Learn from Little Kids
As parents, we’re used to teaching our kids how to behave, how to manage emotions, and a thousand other things. However, did you ever think about what we can learn from little kids?
Of course, children are excellent teachers that can help us connect better with ourselves. In this article, we invite you to discover the things that kids can teach us. You’ll see how their honest view of life can help you find happiness.
Don’t miss out!
What to learn from little kids
1. Carpe diem: Live in the present
Little kids don’t worry about tomorrow or yesterday. For them, all that exists is the present and that’s wonderful!
Try to forget about everything, at least for a while. Enjoy your today, without thinking about what you should have done yesterday or what problems you’ll face tomorrow. Live in the present with the joy that kids experience.
2. Ask for help
Little kids don’t worry about asking for help. In fact, they do it easily! However, when was the last time you asked someone else for help?
Needing other people isn’t a reason to be ashamed. Remember that next time you feel like the world weighs heavy on your shoulders. Look at your kid and simply ask for help!
3. Playing isn’t a waste of time
Another thing we can learn from little kids is that playing is important. Enjoying playful activities is a way to connect with yourself, opening yourself to creativity and fun.
Don’t hesitate to take advantage of time playing with your kid, it will be good for both of you!
4. Say what you feel
Kids are, primarily, honest – even when it could hurt someone else. Of course, you should always be careful, not only with what you say, but also with how you say it.
However, learning to express what you feel is a lesson you shouldn’t waste.
5. Surprise yourself with everything around you
Look at the world through the eyes of your kids.Let yourself be amazed by a rainbow. Enjoy the wind and laugh in the rain. Let your kid guide you so that you can live these daily moments as something new and surprising that can make you smile like the first time.
6. Learn to forgive
Little kids aren’t spiteful. Since they live in the present, they don’t keep any grudges about what happened yesterday. On the contrary, they forget it. It’s a continuous blank slate!
This doesn’t mean that you should keep falling into the same traps over and over, but rather that forgiving from the heart could be what you need to heal. Do it for yourself – not for the person who needs your forgiveness.
7. Hug, kiss, and love
Without a doubt, another important lesson we can learn from little kids is to not hide our affection from others. If you feel it, don’t hesitate to show the healing power of a hug or kiss.
Also, never hesitate to tell the other person how much you love them.
Don’t miss this: Happiness Jar: An idea Your Kids Will Love
8. Dream big
Have you ever asked a kid what they want to be when they grow up, or what they would invent if they could?
The answers can be totally unexpected because little kids dream big. Nothing is too strange, crazy, or impossible. Catch what your kid has and let your imagination fly!
9. Pretend to be invincible
Learning from little kids to have more self-confidence is another of life’s big lessons. When kids play they pretend to be superheroes, astronauts, or knights. They fight all kinds of imaginary battles and always come out on top.
Feel invincible, believe in yourself, and don’t let yourself be beaten by adversity.
10. Question everything
Don’t accept it when they tell you that “that’s just how it is”. Be like little kids and let yourself think outside the box. Question what you believe isn’t right without fearing what people will say to you. Ask questions without shame.
11. Learn from little kids and laugh more
It doesn’t matter if it makes sense to laugh or not. Enjoy life, play, dance, and sing out loud even if it’s out of tune. Look for reasons to laughand take advantage of them like your kids.
12. Avoid worries
It doesn’t make sense to worry about something that hasn’t happened yet and might not ever happen. Little kids don’t worry, precisely because they live in the present.
Put your worries off to the side and live more freely.
13. Learn from little kids and don’t judge
Little kids don’t have prejudices. They just want to play and have a good time.
Learn from kids to not judge someone for their clothes, their skin color, or their beliefs. It’s just what you need to be happier and more empathetic!
14. Face your fears
Have you ever thought about how many fears little kids face every day? Be a little like your kid and forget your fears, let yourself go and enjoy new adventures.
You might be interested in: How Can Kids Overcome Their Fear of the Dark?
15. Fail… and then fail again
Your kids learn from their mistakes…time and time again. Their lives are full of trial and error where giving up isn’t an option.
How many times have you seen your little one trying to do something over and over again until they finally do it? Follow their example!
16. Indulge some impulses
By impulse, we don’t mean to cry and kick, but rather to let yourself have something good every once in a while.
What if you ate that pizza that you wanted instead of a salad? Or if instead of cleaning the bathroom, you play with trains with your kids? Nothing bad will happen if you break “the rules” for one day.
There are many things we can learn from little kids, and we should apply them every day to be more creative, open, empathetic, and, above all, happier. Let’s start today!
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
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- Oriol-Bosch, A. (2012). Resiliencia. Educación Médica. https://doi.org/10.4321/s1575-18132012000200004
- Lipovetsky, G. (2006). La felicidad paradójica. Praxis Filosófica. https://doi.org/10.2307/474247
- Vázquez, Hervás, G., Rahona, J., & Gómez, D. (2009). Bienestar psicológico y salud : Aportaciones desde la Psicología Positiva. Anuario de Psicología Clínica y de La Salud.