Make Your Own Happiness Formula
Create your own happiness formula by listing favorite activities, building an activity jar, testing combinations, and tracking which actions improve your mood.
Step-by-step guide to Make Your Own Happiness Formula
Step 1
Gather all the materials listed and bring them to your workspace.
Step 2
Write "My Happiness Formula" at the top of a sheet of paper.
Step 3
Below the title list at least eight of your favorite activities one per line.
Step 4
Cut each activity into its own strip of paper using scissors.
Step 5
Decorate each strip with colors stickers or drawings so they look fun.
Step 6
Place all decorated strips into your jar or box to make your Activity Jar.
Step 7
Make a simple tracking chart on a fresh sheet with columns labeled Date Activity Mood 1-5 Notes.
Step 8
Decide how many activity combinations you will test each day and how many days you will test.
Step 9
Write your testing plan on the tracking chart so you remember what to try.
Step 10
Pull two strips from the jar to create today’s activity combination.
Step 11
Do each activity you pulled for at least 20 minutes or until you finish it.
Step 12
After you finish rate your mood from 1 to 5 on the tracking chart and write one short sentence about how you feel.
Step 13
Repeat Steps 10 through 12 on different days to try at least five different combinations.
Step 14
Review your chart and write a short "Happiness Formula" that lists the activities that improved your mood the most.
Step 15
Share your finished Happiness Formula and your decorated Activity Jar on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have a jar, stickers, or scissors?
Use an empty shoebox or cereal box instead of a jar or box, tear strips by hand or ask an adult to cut with kitchen scissors if you don't have craft scissors, and decorate strips with colored pencils or magazine cutouts instead of stickers as you make the decorated strips in Step 4.
What should we do if strips are hard to pull or get stuck in the Activity Jar?
If strips stick together or are hard to pull (Step 9), remake them slightly wider in Step 3, shake or spread the jar/box contents gently before pulling, and write activity names in large letters so you can grab and read them easily.
How can we adapt the activity for younger or older children?
For younger kids replace written activities with picture strips and shorten each activity to about 10 minutes while using sticker rewards on the tracking chart, and for older kids try three-strip combinations, keep the 20-minute minimum from Step 10, and add detailed Notes and mood analysis before writing the final Happiness Formula.
How can we enhance or personalize our Happiness Formula project?
Color-code your decorated strips by activity type in Step 4, turn the tracking chart into a simple mood graph when you review results in Step 13, and make a poster of your final Happiness Formula to photograph and share on DIY.org as suggested in the last step.
Watch videos on how to Make Your Own Happiness Formula
Fill Your Bucket: how to find and make happiness for yourself and others!
4 Videos
Fill Your Bucket: how to find and make happiness for yourself and others!
How to Identify HAPPINESS 😀 RECOGNIZING EMOTIONS for Kids 😊 Episode 1
Feeling Happy & Sad | Feelings and Emotions for Kids | Khan Academy Kids
Let's Talk About Emotions! What Makes You Feel Happy? | Kids Answer | Caitie's Questions
Facts about emotional well-being for kids
📝 Keeping a mood journal or activity jar helps you spot patterns—so you can see which actions really lift your spirits.
🧠 Positive psychology (led by researchers like Martin Seligman) studies what makes life meaningful and how activities boost well-being.
🧪 Scientists test different habits and activities (like mini-experiments) to discover what actually improves mood for different people.
😊 Small everyday activities—like drawing, playing, or chatting—stack up and can make you feel much happier over time.
🎯 Trying one new fun activity a week fights boredom and helps you build a more exciting personal 'happiness formula.'
How do I guide my child to make a happiness formula?
What materials are needed to make a happiness formula activity jar?
What ages is the happiness formula activity suitable for?
What are the benefits of making a happiness formula with kids?
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