• Home
  • Our Shop
  • About Us
    • About MKB
    • Our Shop
    • MKB Board
    • Editorial Board and MKB Administrators
    • Our Contributors
    • For Bloggers: Join MKB
    • Books and Products from Our Members
    • Cultural Resources
    • Contact Us
  • Product Promotion Services
  • Blog Hops & Series
    • Holidays Around the World
      • Martin Luther King Day
      • Chinese New Year
      • Purim
      • Passover
      • Easter Around the World
      • Ramadan
      • Hajj (Eid al Adha)
      • Rosh Hashanah
      • Day of the Dead
      • Diwali
      • Hanukkah
      • Christmas in Different Lands
    • Heritage Months
      • Black History Month
      • Women’s History Month
      • Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage Month
      • Middle Eastern and North African Heritage Month
      • Hispanic Heritage Month
      • Native American Heritage Month
    • Blogging Carnivals
    • Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop
    • Global Learning for Kids
  • Resources for Raising Global Citizens
  • Privacy Policy

Multicultural Kid Blogs

For families and educators raising world citizens, through arts, activities, crafts, food, language, and love.

The Happiest Kids in the World Book Review

May 8, 2017 by Frances

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for purposes of review. All opinions are my own.

happiest kids in the world book review

Here at Multicultural Kid Blogs we are comprised mostly of educators, bloggers, and families from across the globe.  All of us have different parenting styles, but did you know that Dutch parents have the happiest kids in the world?

Grab a cup of tea, coffee or whatever you fancy, and let’s read what authors Rina Mae and Michele Hutchison have to say about their new book, The Happiest Kids in the World How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids (and Themselves) by Doing Less.

The Happiest Kids in the World Book Review

I am going to be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book.  I was intrigued! Who doesn’t want to have the happiest kids in the world? As I opened the book and read the first pages, I was introduced to the authors and their families. Their family trees adorned with photographs and short blurbs of each family member was like a big warm welcome for readers.  

Rina Mae Acosta is a writer from California currently living in the Netherlands with her Dutch husband and two young sons. She founded the successful parenting blog Finding Dutchland. Michele Hutchison worked in publishing in Britain before moving to Amsterdam in 2004. She is now a prominent translator of Dutch literature and lives in a traditional Dutch house with her husband and two children.

RELATED POST: How Dutch Nursery Rhymes Helped Me as an Expat Mother

It turns out the Dutch kids are indeed the happiest in the world. The book states:

“…in 2013, a UNICEF report rated Dutch children the happiest in the world. Dutch children are far ahead of their peers in childhood well-being; while they came in at #1, children in the US were much further down the list, ranking #26.”

According to the book authors, Dutch:

Babies get more sleep

“At six months, Dutch babies slept an average of two hours longer than a comparison sample of American babies – fifteen hours a day in total, compared to thirteen hours.” 

Kids have little or no homework at primary school 

They get homework when they are teenagers.

“Most schoolchildren don’t get any homework until they leave primary school.” 

Kids are not just seen but also heard 

They have their own voice.

Kids are trusted to ride their bikes to school on their own 

Everyone rides a bike.

“Most primary schools run a cycling-proficiency program in the final or penultimate year so that when children start cycling longer distances, they have been trained to deal with the traffic.  They will have also taken a theory test and know all the traffic rules and signs.” 

Kids are allowed to play outside unsupervised

“Outdoor play is still a very normal part of Dutch childhood, just as it was in Brueghel’s day.  It’s part of the Dutch character to go outside in all weather. Children happily play outside in the rain.” 

“The standard advice is for parents to initially keep a discreet eye on the children, but without interfering. I would watch mine through our bay windows.” 

 

Kids have regular family meals

Kids get to spend more time with their moms and dads

Parents have an exclusive day off from work to just spend with their kids.

“Papadag is pretty common, especially within the public and government sectors here.  It was an easy choice for me to work four days a week. I appreciate the extra time I get to spend with my daughter alone and, while she’s napping or playing with a friend, I can work a bit, too, checking email and doing some short-attention work.”- Mathijs close friend of Rina’s.

Kids enjoy simple pleasures and are happy with second-hand toys

Last but not least, kids get to eat chocolate sprinkles (hagelslag) for breakfast 

Who doesn’t love chocolate for breakfast?

Creative Commons/Image source

This Dutch parenting book is beautifully written sharing the authors stories simultaneously in each chapter. Both of them have adapted as expats to the Dutch way of parenting.  In quite a few of the chapters, readers can find a text box with facts, tips, questions, and useful information on Dutch parenting.

Both Rina, and Michelle agree wholeheartedly with the UNICEF report:  “We believe it’s true that the Dutch are raising the happiest kids in the world.”   Yet they aren’t really doing anything new. They are doing things modern-day American and British parents were brought up on themselves but seem to have lost sight of the in their concerted, overly ambitious drive to perfection.

As a parent myself, there’s a lot of the Dutch way of parenting that I may need to do even if I’m living in the United States.

About the The Happiest Kids in the World Book

Title:                  The Happiest Kids in the World How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids (and Themselves) by Doing Less
Authors:            Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison
Publishing:       April 4, 2017
Price:                  $15.95 US
Paperback:       272 pages
ISBN:                9781615193905
Purchase:         TheExperimentPublishing.com

Interested in reading more about Dutch parenting? Read our members’ blogs:

Expat Since Birth

Olga Mecking

Turning Dutch

Finding Dutchland   One of the writers is the author of The Happiest Kids in the World

Must Read Multicultural Parenting Books

 

 

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather
The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy LinkedIn profileMy Instagram profile

Frances

Owner/Blogger at Discovering the World Through My Son's Eyes
Frances Díaz Evans is a Latina Author, Educator, Multicultural and Language Advocate. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of the East in Puerto Rico and a master's degree in Spanish education from the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. She is the founder and writer of the multicultural, bilingual parenting website, Discovering the World Through My Son's Eyes and Discovering Español (Discovering Spanish), a business dedicated to teaching Spanish online. She can be found musing on her blog, Facebook and her favorite social media platform Instagram.
My Twitter profileMy Facebook profileMy LinkedIn profileMy Instagram profile

Latest posts by Frances (see all)

  • Calavera Puppets for Day of the Dead - October 31, 2022
  • Top Bilingual Superpowers! - July 11, 2022
  • Women’s History Month: Resources and Activities - February 28, 2022

Filed Under: Learning About Culture, Netherlands, Parenting Tagged With: book review, dutch, parenting

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Comments

  1. Nicole Dyer says

    May 8, 2017 at 6:22 am

    Wonderful! I wholeheartedly agree with all of these ideas. I love letting kids play outside unsupervised. When we moved to a cul de sac we started allowing them to do that and now I’ll never go back. They are learning so much about independence and dealing with little disagreements with other kids.

    • Frances says

      May 10, 2017 at 6:48 am

      Yes! I too grew up playing outdoors with my cousins and friends from the neighborhood, too. So many fond memories.

  2. Lisa says

    May 9, 2017 at 1:06 am

    Great review. I too was intrigued to know the contents.
    Thanks for a great summary 🙂

    • Frances says

      May 10, 2017 at 6:48 am

      Thanks Lisa! Glad you enjoyed it!

  3. Anneke Forzani says

    May 10, 2017 at 6:44 am

    This was a very interesting book review. It does seem that we have lost our way on some of these “basics” in the US as this is not much different than how many of us were raised. We visited Netherlands last year (after a family reunion in Belgium), and I can attest to the fact that the hagelslag (chocolate) for breakfast was a winner!

    • Frances says

      May 10, 2017 at 6:49 am

      You’re right we have lost our way. I remember growing up the many times we played outdoors (unsupervised) and came it when it was time for dinner, or it was getting dark. Great memories indeed. Yes, hagelslag will be a winner for any kid that loves chocolate. LOL

Follow Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Google+Follow Us on TwitterFollow Us on PinterestFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on Instagram

Anti-Bullying Resource FREE Download

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Grab Our Button!

grab button for Multicultural Kid Blogs
<div class="multicultural-kid-blogs-button" style="width: 200px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="https://multiculturalkidblogs.com/" rel="nofollow"> <img src="https://multiculturalkidblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/button-take-3.jpg" alt="Multicultural Kid Blogs" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div>
Multicultural Children's Book Day Co-Host

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT