04/02/2026
Who has the happiest kids on earth?
For almost 50 years the Danish people have earned the title as having, "The Happiest Kids on Earth." Books have even been written to share their gift with the world; much can be learned from them. Number one, they focus their life around their family and raising their children intentionally. They concentrate on helping their children build emotional strength, compassion for others and managing their own emotions. At the center is building real relationships, which help raise confident, well-balanced kids.
They start with creating emotionally safe homes where children thrive because they can trust their parents. Hygge (pronounced Hoo-guh) is a Danish word that stands for making "comfy togetherness" and they make it a priority. Candlelit dinners, game night, morning cuddles and bedtime stories are some examples of always present Hygge. The center of all this is really CONNECTING with your children.
Emotional help. Parents (and schools) see the development of emotions as important as good grades in school. Parents help by solving big emotional problems with their kids. There are cozy calm-down spaces in homes, emotion cards to identify feelings from a young age, personal coping strategies, and they teach breathing exercises for stressful moments. In addition, they check in on how the kids are doing emotionally. They confirm children's emotions and make statements like, "I see you are feeling frustrated, let's figure it out" or "Let's understand why you're angry" followed by problem solving questions. These children can often regulate their own emotions by age 7.
Playtime. Playtime alone, with other children or adults is considered a very important everyday activity. Often it includes time outside. There is very little screen time. This strengthens thinking skills, creativity and social skills. Children who have regular free time play score 27% higher on emotional regulation.
Independence and confidence. Parents include children in family decisions and respect their opinion from an early age. Danish parents develop their children's independence by giving freedom with responsibility. Three year olds will get choices from parent approved options with things like clothing and snacks. 6 year olds manage weekly allowance through budgeting things the parents would buy. Parents discuss failures and use them as learning opportunities by asking questions like, "what made you choose this? How did that decision work out?" These questions teach thinking skills and build confidence for future decisions that will need to be made. Chores are given from young ages. Parents do the chores with their children over and over until they are confident. This also builds relationships and responsibility.
Boundaries and discipline. Danish parents give clear consistent boundaries through discussions with the children and repeat until they are mastered. Parents create schedules, routines and family agreements that outline expectations for behavior at home, school and social settings. The parents find when they seek to understand their children it often causes dialogue and stops the need for much discipline. They focus on teaching what consequences are and self management. They have found praise that sees kids' effort, like, "you worked hard cleaning off the table," is better than saying, "good job" as it motivates future efforts.
Communication. Danish kids and parents have "talk time." Children are given their parents full, positive attention with eye contact. Parents are careful not to interrupt and will ask open-ended questions to encourage the conversation (and therefore deeper thought), they also share appropriate personal experiences to deepen their connection.
Families spend 4-6 hours together each day making meaningful connections, not just covering basic care. They have one-on-one activities with each child weekly. Danish parents have their children's trust because they prioritize real relationships, show up with their time and attention creating strong bonds and well being. No wonder they are the happiest kids on earth.
One of the many books on this subject is, "The Danish Way of Parenting" by Alexander/Sandahl.
Article by Michelle Chrisman, Health Educator
