Let's Grow Happiness

Spark happiness and positivity with this activity deck for kids (ages 4 to 8), featuring 50 research-backed activities that encourage fun, connection, mindfulness, and self-reflection!

Did you know that feeling happy is something we can easily learn and grow inside ourselves? Research shows that happiness is a learnable skill—and this playful activity deck teaches children tried-and-true tools for emotional regulation and well-being that will last a lifetime.  

With a wonderful variety of games and practices, mindfulness educators Wendy O’Leary and Dr. Helen Maffini provide science-backed approaches to encourage positivity, joy, and contentment—while embracing and validating emotions of all flavors. The fifty activity cards are divided into five categories:  

• Shine: Sunny ideas focused on playful and fun ways to grow happiness.  

• Connect: Nurturing and spreading happiness through connection with ourselves and others.  

• Be Mindful: Watering our happiness with mindful ways to soak it in.  

• Dig In: Digging in deeper and developing happiness by turning inward.  

• Bloom: Encouraging happiness to blossom by integrating it fully into our lives.  

From going on a sticker hunt in “Hide and Seek Happiness” and crafting “Beads of Balance” to starting a chain reaction of happiness in “Smile Symphony,” kids will have fun using these easy-to-follow cards while strengthening their emotional regulation skills.WENDY O’LEARY, MEd, is a mindfulness educator and a certified meditation and yoga teacher. Wendy’s books are based on her fifteen-plus years of experience teaching mindfulness and skills for emotional awareness and regulation to children and “their adults.” She is a certified parent educator and an online contributor to Mindful Magazine. DR. HELEN MAFFINI is an international educator, author, and consultant with a background in education, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence. From her research on preschool mindfulness to her work as a certified emotional intelligence trainer and NLP practitioner, Helen has dedicated her career to helping individuals and organizations reach their full potential.