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.
About this activity
Create your own happiness formula by listing favorite activities, building an activity jar, testing combinations, and tracking which actions improve your mood.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Gather all the materials listed and bring them to your workspace.
- 2
Step 2
Write "My Happiness Formula" at the top of a sheet of paper.
- 3
Step 3
Below the title list at least eight of your favorite activities one per line.
- 4
Step 4
Cut each activity into its own strip of paper using scissors.
- 5
Step 5
Decorate each strip with colors stickers or drawings so they look fun.
- 6
Step 6
Place all decorated strips into your jar or box to make your Activity Jar.
- 7
Step 7
Make a simple tracking chart on a fresh sheet with columns labeled Date Activity Mood 1-5 Notes.
- 8
Step 8
Decide how many activity combinations you will test each day and how many days you will test.
- 9
Step 9
Write your testing plan on the tracking chart so you remember what to try.
- 10
Step 10
Pull two strips from the jar to create today’s activity combination.
- 11
Step 11
Do each activity you pulled for at least 20 minutes or until you finish it.
- 12
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.
- 13
Step 13
Repeat Steps 10 through 12 on different days to try at least five different combinations.
- 14
Step 14
Review your chart and write a short "Happiness Formula" that lists the activities that improved your mood the most.
- 15
Step 15
Share your finished Happiness Formula and your decorated Activity Jar on DIY.org.
Fun facts
How do I guide my child to make a happiness formula?
Start by asking your child to list favorite mood-boosting activities (outdoor play, drawing, reading, snack breaks). Write each idea on a slip and place them in an “activity jar.” Each day, draw one or two slips and try that combination for 15–30 minutes. Have your child rate their mood before and after on a simple chart or with smiley stickers. After a week, review which combinations worked best and tweak the jar to build a personalized happiness formula.
What materials are needed to make a happiness formula activity jar?
You’ll need a jar or container, index cards or paper slips, pens or markers, and a mood tracker (stickers, a simple chart, or a notebook). Optional extras: a timer to set activity length, small props (art supplies, ball, cozy blanket), labels for categories (movement, calm, creative), and a calendar to track results over days. Most items are household basics, so it’s easy to set up quickly with kids of different ages.
What ages is the happiness formula activity suitable for?
This activity adapts well across ages: preschoolers (3–5) can choose picture-based slips with adult help and use stickers to track mood. Elementary kids (6–11) can write activities, rate feelings, and test combos independently. Tweens and teens can design experiments, track patterns in a journal or app, and refine their formula. Supervision and simplified tools are key for younger children; older kids can take the lead and involve peers or family.
What are the benefits of making a happiness formula with kids?
Creating a happiness formula builds self-awareness, helping children notice what lifts their mood and why. It teaches trial-and-error thinking, emotional regulation, and healthy habit formation. Tracking successes boosts confidence and encourages routine, while family involvement fosters communication and connection. Over time, kids learn practical coping strategies for stress and boredom, improving resilience and promoting a positive mindset through simple, repeatable activities.
Watch & Learn
Need 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.