How to Make a Happy Home: 10 Habits That Make A Difference

Every parent wants to raise their family in a happy home. But how do actually you make that happen? Today I am sharing 10 simple steps to create a home that is full of love and happiness.

A happy family sitting together on the couch and laughing.

What really makes a happy home?

As a new mom I felt so much pressure to do everything “perfectly”.

Although my intentions were driven by my desire to create a happy home, I was misguided in my understanding of how to actually make that happen.

Like so many others I thought that in order to have a home full of smiles, laughter and love that it needed to be full of:

New toys
Tons of cute clothes
Magazine worthy furniture
And Pinterest perfect dinner parties

It wasn’t long until I realized that none of these things were “sparking joy” in our household. In fact, the exact opposite was happening.

And I don’t think I am alone in that realization.

Many mothers are drowning under the commercialized pressure to do it all in an attempt to have a happy family.

In reality the tasks that we are spending our time and money on rob us of having a genuinely close and happy family.

Sound familiar?

Well, if you are on a mission to increase the happiness level in your home, you’ve come to the right place.

Keep reading to discover 10 practical strategies to reduce stress and increase the joy in your household.

How to Make Your Home a Happier Place

When setting out on the mission to create a happy and more positive home for your family be sure to remember that this is not a complicated process.

You can create a happier and calmer home by prioritizing the 10 activities and habits that are listed below.

None of them require a lot of money, loads of time or extensive training.

You already have all the skills and abilities required to make this happen. All it takes is being more intentional with your time and energy.

One you establish these habits you may even be surprised to find that you have more time and energy available for your family because you are less stressed and spend less time running around to activities and events that are not essential.

Ready to see how you can start to create a happy home?

On to the list!

1. Establish Weekly Routines

Humans thrive on structure and routine; this is especially true of children.

Ever wonder why your child’s teacher says they are perfectly behaved at school and yet they are absolute monsters at home? Most likely it is because of the structure and routine that is provided during the school day. During the school day every single thing that happens is predictable and routine:

Recess
Lunch
Reading
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They all happen at the same exact time, every single day.

While your home is not a school, you can begin to reap some of the benefits from establishing predictable routines, or activities that happen at home every single week.

And this isn’t just my opinion, the positive impact of family routines is supported by psychologist and medical professionals.

Some examples of predictable routines are

Taco Tuesday
Family movie night
Saturday evening bike rides
or Sunday morning pancakes

These activities don’t have to be over the top or expensive. The only requirement is consistency. These predictable events will create a sense of rhythm and routine that happy families are familiar with.

2. Share Stories From Your Childhood

People connect through shared stories, and building that connection with your family is so important when it comes to making a happy home. Plus, kids find it fascinating to learn about life when you were their age.

This can be as simple as light conversation in the car while stuck in traffic or stories shared around the dinner table.

3. Be Flexible

As mentioned before, routine is an important part of making your home a haven for your family. However, rigidity in your routines is a surefire way to stress everyone out.

Routines are meant to serve your family and make life easier on everyone. Keep this in mind and be open to making changes when needed.

4. Openly Express Affection

Sometimes openly expressing affection is viewed as a sign of weakness. This is absolutely untrue. Showing your family how much you love and care for them is absolutely necessary if you want to foster a happy home full of peace, joy, and contentment.

Don’t be afraid to tell your kids you love them before bed each night or give them a hug as they run out the door to activities. You’ll never regret letting them know how much they mean to you.

5. Do Activities Together

Spending quality time as a family is often known as the quintessential method to making a happy home. With today’s busy schedules, this time together can be hard to come by.

The thing is, shared experiences don’t need to be complicated or time-consuming. Something as simple as a walk after dinner or a family game night once a week are great ways to start spending more time together.

If you want to take it a step further, you can sign up for a new activity together – rock climbing, bird watching, an art class….the possibilities are endless. Whatever you do, doing it together is key.

6. Establish Family Traditions

When our kids are grown and look back on their childhood, they aren’t going to remember the flashy gifts or expensive gadgets they were given. They’re going to remember experiences and time spent with loved ones.

Experiences don’t have to be extravagant to count either. A family gratitude jar in November, sipping hot cocoa while driving around looking at lights on Christmas Eve, or creating a vision board together to celebrate the new year are all simple and inexpensive activities you and your family can look forward to each year.

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7. Focus on the Positive

When you’re focused on the negative, everything seems worse.

Even if life is really hard right now, there’s always something to be grateful for – health, family, friends, food on the table, a job.

Whatever it may be, turn your focus to the things that are good and your disposition will, no doubt, improve.

8. Eat Meals Together

Family meals around the table may sound cliche, but cliches are that for a reason. Shared meals together offer the opportunity to slow down and connect in the midst of a busy day.

It doesn’t have to be dinner either. If everyone is running in separate directions in the evenings to sports and activities, try having breakfast together instead.

Or if that isn’t possible, prioritize pizza and a movie on Fridays or Sunday family dinner. Whatever you do, make meals together a regular part of your week.

9. Create a Strong Bond

There can’t be enough said for communication and connection. By making these things a priority, you are building a bond that will not easily be broken.

This is especially important as your kids enter the teen years and are surrounded by so many outside influences. You want them to be able to stand strong for their values and not give in to negative peer pressure.

Forging a strong bond now will pay dividends in the years to come.

10. Put Down the Devices and Talk to Each Other

This is sometimes easier said than done. We live in a world run on technology. We have phones pinging and laptops open on the counter so we can multitask while working and the TV on to keep kids occupied while we cook dinner.

Sometimes though, it’s good to unplug and just enjoy each other’s company without screens splitting our attention.

One easy way to do this is to collect everyone’s devices and put them in a basket during dinner. The first one to grab their phone or tablet gets dish duty! You can take it a step further and create a fun dinner tradition where you talk about the highs and lows of your day, or print out some fun conversation starters to really get everyone talking and laughing.

You can make your home a happier place

Though making a happy home can sometimes feel like an elusive goal, it’s actually very easy to achieve and maintain. By focusing on slowing down and really connecting with those in your household, you will find this just happens naturally.

Remember “people over possessions”. This is a simple rule to live by and one that will never fail you. When you put family first, everything else will fall into place.

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