Hi there and welcome to

the Happy Hearts Parenting Blog!

In these posts we explore some of the research linking social and moral development in childhood

to emotional and mental wellbeing -

and importantly, what it all means for how we raise our kids!

We hope you find our posts interesting and helpful. ❤️

Empathy Starts with Noticing!

Empathy Starts with Noticing!By: Jess Kingsford (Ph.D)

In this blog, Jess reminds us of the importance of helping kids develop and exercise their empathy muscles. How? We can start by helping them develop the skill of noticing - the faces, the people, and the world around them.

EmpathyAwareness
Empathy Starts with Noticing!

Why Atomic Habits might be the most important parenting book you’ll never read!

Why Atomic Habits might be the most important parenting book you’ll never read!By: Jess Kingsford (Ph.D)

In this Blog Jess helps us apply the powerful lessons from James Clear's Atomic Habits to parenting! She explains how we can help our children develop certain habits and therefore the kinds of self-perceptions that have been shown to deliver higher levels of mental and emotional wellbeing, not just in childhood but into adolescence and beyond. Oh and... thank you James! 😉

HabitsIdentity
Why Atomic Habits might be the most important parenting book you’ll never read!

Why kids should do chores (...and why we shouldn’t call them chores!)

Why kids should do chores (...and why we shouldn’t call them chores!)By: Jess Kingsford (Ph.D)

In this blog, we tackle the question of whether kids should do household chores... Jess says: Definitely! The real question though is when should they start? And while we're on the topic: What's more important - letting kids play all the time, or inviting them to contribute to meaningful tasks? Jess checks out what the research has to say on this topic....

ContributionMattering and Meaning
Why kids should do chores (...and why we shouldn’t call them chores!)

The pitfalls of being a 'Friend-Parent'.

The pitfalls of being a 'Friend-Parent'.By: Jess Kingsford (Ph.D)

In this blog Jess talks about the pitfalls of trying to become a friend to our young children when what they really need is for us to be their 'North Star' in life. Jess also talks about how to develop a different kind of closeness with our children that better supports their emotional and social development.

Parent-child relationshipResponsiveness
The pitfalls of being a 'Friend-Parent'.

About Us

Happy Hearts Parenting is a not-for-profit organisation supporting parents, carers & educators of young children to nurture and promote their children's mental and emotional wellbeing.

(We take a secular, evidence-based approach to our work and we are not affiliated with any religious or political organisations.)

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