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With one in six South Africans suffering from anxiety or depression, parents are concerned about how to raise happy children. The experts agree that children need resilience and other soft skills to cope with life’s challenges. 

Positive education is an approach that nurtures the soft skills children need to be more resilient. Children face numerous pressures – from school to personal – in their daily lives. So they need skills that will help them survive and thrive.

Professor Ilona Boniwell, a European expert in positive psychology and positive education, says : “Parents are often only too aware of the complex context in which their children grow up. Although they are generally knowledgeable about the best approach for their children, implementing it is not so easy.” 

Positive education means combining education and fun. “It brings a range of activities that motivate, interest and make children feel valued.”  Play must encourage interest and empathy. Children must work as a team and learn to share. 

Often applied in schools and childcare facilities, positive education principles are also being used by Club Med, the world’s leading provider of premium all-inclusive offers for families. 

Read more about emotional intelligence

With Professor Boniwell on board as a consultant, all activities at Club Med’s kids clubs at 70 resorts in 30 countries around the world have been enriched through positive education principles. 

The Mini Club Med + for 4 – 10-year-olds promotes children’s sense of well-being and resilience. All of the activities have been designed and enhanced to help children discover the following strengths: creativity, courage, cooperation, confidence, cheerfulness, and connection.

They also include Mini Club Med classics such as tennis, flying trapeze and an old favourite – the children’s show. 

Parents can help raise happy children by encouraging them to take part in these activities while on holiday.