What makes you happy?
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On this show, we take questions from kids like you, and we find interesting people to offer answers. Well, most of the time. This time, you're the experts. We asked you to tell us what makes you happy, and boy, did you respond. We heard from almost 200 of you. And yes, we're going to fit all of you into this episode. So sit back, get cozy, maybe grab a hot chocolate or a glass of water. It's going to be a long, joyful journey.

Here are a few of your responses to get us started. Hi, my name is Ryan. I'm eight years old and I live in Warrington, Pennsylvania. Something that brings me joy are my foster kids. Hi, my name is Bobby. I am almost seven years old and I live in Champlain, Minnesota. The thing that brings me joy is laughter.

I'm Beau. I'm five years old. I'm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And what makes me happy is wearing butterflies and flowers. My name is Heidi. I live from Australia. What makes me happy? I want to be a superhero in my life. My name is Booker.

I'm five years old. I live in Silver Spring, Maryland, and the thing that makes me happy is doctors. My name is Rohan, and I'm eight years old, and I live in Washington, D.C. School, making paper airplanes, and family debt.

What makes me happy? My name is Corleon. I am 10 years old. I'm a Filipino, but I live in Oxford, Alabama. What makes me happy is my family. Those are some excellent joy bringers, friends. Now it's making me happy just thinking about foster kittens, flowers, and family.

In addition to hearing all of the things that bring you joy, we wanted to talk a little bit about what researchers know about happiness. So we called up someone who spends a lot of time thinking about how people can feel good. Gretchen Rubin, author and podcast host of Happier with Gretchen Rubin.

One day I was stuck on a crowded city bus in the pouring rain and I was very bored. And because I didn't have anything else to do, I started asking myself a very big question, which is, what do I want from my life? And I thought, well, I want to be happy. But I realized, well, I'm saying I want to be happy, but I don't spend any time thinking about, am I happy? Could I be happier?

if a person wanted to be happier, what would they do? Is it even possible to make yourself happier? And I realized I wanted to know the answers to these questions. And it turns out that the subject of happiness is so huge that I've really been exploring it ever since. I just sort of go deeper and deeper into different aspects of happiness.

So when we think about how to be happier, then are there ways that we can work on finding happiness for ourselves no matter how old we are? Yes.

One secret to happiness, and this is something that people thousands of years ago and also scientists today agree on, which is that we should think about our relationships with other people. So how you feel about your family, how you feel about your friends, how you feel about your neighbors, whether they're people that you can talk to when you're feeling down or

whether if you have a secret, if there are people you can confide in and you know that they will keep your secret, if you feel like you're meeting new people and kind of sharing things that you're interested in with them,

These are things that make us happier. And so if you're thinking about, well, your time, your energy, what are you going to do with yourself? If you say to yourself, well, is that something that's probably going to help me meet new friends or be better friends with the people I already have? That's probably something that is going to boost your happiness. We actually got a lot of responses from kids who told us, my family makes me really happy. My name is Lucas.

I'm five years old and I live in Green Bay, Wisconsin. And the thing that brings me joy is when I play games with mom. My name is Declan. I'm nine years old. I live in Austin, Texas. And what makes me happy is my parents.

My name is Ellis. I live in Austin, Texas. And what makes me happy is when my brother is nice to me. Hello, my name's Sophia.

and I live in Arlington, Virginia. And the thing that makes me happy the most is my family, especially my little sister Alicia. Hi, my name's Bobby and I'm five years old. What makes me happy is when we're at play Kippel and together. My name is Cleo. I'm four and a half years old and I live in New Prague, Minnesota. What brings me joy is playing with my sister.

My name is Jordan. I live in Hong Kong. I'm turning seven this December 12th. And what makes me happy is when my dad plays with me because he always makes me laugh. Hi, my name is Luna and I live in Portland, Oregon. This is what makes me happy, friends and family. My name is Lila. I'm six years old.

I live in Bourbon, California and what makes me happy is a snuggle from my parents. When I get a kiss from mom I feel very happy. Hello my name is Joaquin and I am nine years old. I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico and what brings me joy is being with my family. My name is Scarlett. I am 11 years old. I live in Bourbon, Ontario in Canada. I use my eyes to talk on my computer. My family brings me joy.

My brother Evan is fun. I also like to watch movies, especially with music. Hi, my name is Hannah. I'm seven years old. I live in Coral Springs, Florida. And what makes me happy is I like traveling with my family and playing with my friends and going to Disneyland. My name's Maggie. I'm five years old. I'm from Victoria, BC.

What brings me joy is my mom and my dad. Hello, my name is Vera. I'm seven years old and I live in Logroño in the north of Spain. And I'm going to tell you what makes me happy. The first thing is playing with my cousin's cat, Phyllis. And the second one is being with my cousin, Tulia. Hi, my name is Henry.

My thing that makes me joy is being with my family. I'm six years old. I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. My name is Ryder. I'm from Fairfield, Connecticut. And my thing that makes me joy is playing with my baby brother.

Hi, I'm Henry. I live in Silverado, Minnesota. I'm seven years old, and what makes me happy is my family. I'm Alicia. I'm five years old. I live in Arlington, Virginia. What makes me happy is when I'm surrounded by my family. My name is Alex.

And I'm from Cumming, Georgia. I'm 10 years old and something that brings me joy is playing video games or spending time with my family, like playing catch with my dad or just doing something all together. My name is Ronan. I am six years old. My name is Adam. I'm four years old.

We live in Longmount, Massachusetts and what brings me joy is playing video games with my family. And what brings me joy is spending time with my family. Hi, my name is Theo and I live in England and what makes me happy is spending time with my mummy.

Hello, my name is Savannah. I'm four years old and what do I live in? Sacramento, California. And I live in Sacramento, California. And what makes me happy is a great hug from my dad. My name is James. I'm six years old and I live in Alexandria, Virginia. And what brings me joy is when my mom, she goes up into my bed with me and she asks me my favorite part of the day and I really like that.

So my name is Zofia, I live in Poland. I have six years old and the thing that makes me happy is when dad made me a house. My name is Frankie and I'm six. I live in Melbourne, Australia. What makes me happy is when dad does crazy stuff. My name is Amelia, I'm four years old.

I play with my brother, Chad. My mom. Me too. Hi, my name's Eleanor. I'm six years old. I live in Rochester, New York, and what makes me happy is my family. Hi, but why? My name is Violet. I'm 10 years old, and I live in Zeeland, Michigan.

Something that makes me super happy is being able to curl up under a blanket with my family reading a great book. My name is Otto. I'm seven years old. I live in West Des Moines, Iowa. And something that brings me joy is snuggling with my mom and dad. My name's Elijah and I live in Florida. What makes me happy is hanging out with my family and friends.

I'm Annie. I'm eight years old. I live in Indianapolis, and it brings me joy when I'm riding my bike with my mom on a warm fall day. Hi, my name is Charlotte, and I'm six years old, and I live in Massachusetts. What makes me happy is snuggling with my parents and playing video games with them. My name is Quinn.

What makes me happy is mommy. I'm so glad to hear that so many of you enjoy being with your family members. It's really wonderful to share cuddles, laughs, and playtime with the people you love.

But it's not just family we love. We also love our friends. Lots of you sent us notes about how your friends make you happy. I'm Dominic. I live in Norway. I'm seven years old. I like sledding with my friends. Hi, my name is Charlie. I'm eight years old. And what makes me happy is playing pretend with my friends and playing with my dog, Indy.

My name is Eleanor and I'm five years old and I live in West Australia. I'm happy about meeting my new friends. My name is Ocean. I live in Austin, Texas. I'm five and a half.

And what brings me joy is being with my friend Ryan. I'm Sydney, I'm nine years old and I live in New Lenox, Illinois. And what makes me happy is my friend group Cece, Katie, Amelia and Mac. And what also makes me happy is my BFF. My name is Leonitis, Leon for short. I'm ten years old. I live in Elwood City, Pennsylvania.

What brings me joy is playing games with friends and family. My name is Isaac. I live in Portland, Oregon. I am 8 years old, and what makes me happy is playing with friends. My name is Rowan. I'm 6 and 8 12 years old, and I'm from Philadelphia, and my favorite thing to do is play with my best friend, Ben. Hi, I'm Abby. I live in Sillida, Minnesota. I'm 9 years old. What makes me happy is my friend, Eloise.

My name is Sam. I'm six years old. I live in Seattle and what brings me joy is playing with my friends. My name is Simon and I live in Ottawa, Canada. I'm seven years old and what brings me joy is playing with friends and family. Hello, I'm Martha. I'm eight years old. I'm from Voronezh, Russia. Things that make me happy is listening to music, playing with friends,

and playing video games. Hello, my name is Daniel. I'm from Voronezh, Russia. I'm 13 years old and things that makes me happy are listening to music and walking with friends and hanging out. My name is Jack. I'm five years old and I live in Florida. What makes me happy is playing with my friends.

Hi, my name is Hazel and I'm four years old and the thing that makes me happy is playing with my best friend. My name is Emmy. I live in Middlebury, Vermont. I'm five years old and what makes me happy is

Playing with my best friend. I am Raphael, I'm six. I live West Road, Pennsylvania. And something that I'm really enjoying is playing with my friend Julia.

My name is Zoe. I'm seven years old. I live in Langley, BC, Canada. And the thing that makes me happy is when I play with my friend and talk to my friend Isla, who lives in Calgary, on the phone. My name is Cass. I'm five years old. I'm from New Mexico.

What brings me joy is going to a fun place with some joyful friends. My name is Sloanie. I live in San Francisco. I am seven years old. What brings me joy is talking to my friends and family.

Hi, my name is Autumn. I live in Arlington, Virginia. I am eight years old and what makes me happy is playing with my little brother and playing with my friends. Hi, my name is Emma. I live in New Orleans and I'm six years old. And what brings me joy is playing with friends and being slow with them. My name is Frankie. I come from Washington, Tacoma. What makes me happy is playing with family and friends.

I'm Callie, and I'm 10 years old, and I live in Cleveland, Ohio. Something that makes me happy is being with my friends and family. Gretchen Rubin says it makes total sense that being with friends or family members would make you happy. But she also says...

Each of us has to figure out for ourselves what brings us joy. Because all of us have to figure out what is the secret of happiness for ourselves. And sometimes people will say, well, there's a right way to do it, or there's a best way to do it.

But really, all of us have to figure that out for ourselves because we're all different. And so I think all of us have to say, well, what kind of person am I? What makes me happier? Do I love playing with my dog? Do I like poking around in my backyard? Do I love to read? Do I love to make things with my hands? Do I love to cook or bake?

There's so many different things that make people happier. But sometimes I think, and this is true for adults as well, we think, well, if something makes somebody else happy, well, then of course it will make me happy.

But if you think about it, you realize that's not true because people are very different. Some people love to play their guitar hour after hour after hour. And some people would rather be doing something else with that time. And that's okay because people are different. So we want to think about understanding ourselves so that we can shape our lives to reflect what's true about us. Sometimes kids and adults, but especially kids, are

worry about other people. I think we all do. That's human nature. Certainly the adults in your life are worried about you and your happiness, but sometimes kids worry about their adult's happiness too. Can you affect the happiness of someone else? And is that your responsibility to make your parents or your sibling or your teacher happy? You can't make someone happy.

And they can't make you happy. Sometimes you wish so much that you could make someone happy, or they're trying so hard because they're trying to make you happy. But we really can't do that. We each have to make our happiness for ourselves. And sometimes that's very painful.

But it's also very encouraging because you think, well, I can be responsible for what I know makes me happier. It's not your job to make your parents happy, for example, but you can choose to be happy in what you have in your life and help that rub off on the other people in your life. For most of us, the best thing to do is to think about, well, given my own self, what can I do with my own self? Because

that will help other people, but indirectly in a way. There's something that's actually called emotional contagion because it's like something that we infect each other with. Like we share our emotions with other people in a flash. Like when you're talking to somebody or if you were talking to them on the phone or even if you saw their picture, you would start to pick up their emotions.

And so this is just something that we're constantly sharing back and forth. And so if you feel like someone's emotions are rubbing off on you or your emotions are rubbing off on someone else, that's very true. But each of us needs to be responsible for our own happiness. My name is Dominic from Fort Collins, Colorado. What makes me happy is...

Daddy and everything in the whole wide world. I'm Sebastian. I'm from Baltimore, Maryland, and I'm six years old. And the three things that make me happy are my two cats, Bo and Poe, and playing soccer. My name's Susanna. I'm 10 years old, and I live in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Some things that make me happy are dogs, rollerblading, and music.

My name is Sophia. I live in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and what makes me happy is cuddling with my dogs, family movies, gymnastics, soccer, friends and family. More happiness coming right up.

This is But Why, a podcast for curious kids. I'm Jane Lindholm. For our final episode of 2023, you're telling us what makes you happy. And you know what? Hearing all of you share the things that bring you joy in your own voices is putting a huge smile on my face.

We're also drilling down on some of the research surrounding happiness that author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin has discovered in her many years learning about the art and science of well-being. I have to admit, we're blushing a little bit right now because some of you took the opportunity to tell us that you like, well, us. My name is Stephanie and I'm eight years old.

And I live in Brantford, Connecticut. What gives me joy is listening to But Why's all the episodes. My favorite one is the dinosaur episode. My name is Bernadette. I am nine years old, and I live in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. And what brings me joy is meeting new people and listening to But Why. My name is Savannah. I am seven years old. I live in

Cranston, Rhode Island in America. What makes me happy is spending time with my family and listening to your guys' podcast. My name is Judah and I'm nine years old and I live in Canton, Massachusetts. And what makes me happy is having my favorite snack and listening to But Why. Aw, thanks everyone. As I said, it makes us so happy to hear from you. And Melody, Kiana, and I get great joy out of researching the questions you send to us.

Now, a lot of you wrote in about animals. My name's Mike. I live in Tasmania in Australia. I'm seven years old, and what makes me happy is being with pets. Hi, my name is Zaya, and I'm seven years old, and I live in Oregon. And something that makes me really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really happy

Happy is kittens and the song Watermelon Meow Meow. Hi, my name is Iris and I live in Silverton, Oregon. And something that makes me happy is kittens. I'm Musa. I live in Warren, Michigan. And the thing that makes me happy are my cats.

Hi, my name is Jane. I live in Los Osos, California. I'm seven years old and the thing that makes me happy is playing with my neighbor's cat, Bookie. My name is Ethan from Connecticut and birds make me happy. My name is Hunter and I'm nine years old. I live in Kewascom, Wisconsin, U.S. And what makes me happy is climbing trees and playing with my hamster. Hi, my name is Rafael. I am six years old. I live in Norway.

I like to play with my cat inside the house. Hello, my name is Elizabeth and I'm eight years old and I'm from Toronto, Canada. What makes me feel happy is snuggling and playing with my kittens. My name is Maggie. I'm six years old. I live in St. Albans, Vermont. I feel joy when I see my cats running around. So crazy.

Hi, my name is James and I live in Calgary, Alberta. I am eight years old and what makes me happy is my dog Stewie. My name is Kayla and I live in Diamonddale, Michigan and catching ladybugs bring me joy. My name is Henry. I'm seven years old. I live in Diamonddale, Michigan and catching spiders

brings me joy. I'm a pony. I'm seven years old. I live in Everett, Washington and what makes me happy is playing and hanging out with my puppy Stella. My name is Maya. I live in London and what brings me joy is dogs. My name's Harvey. I'm seven years old. I live in Brantford, Ontario, Canada and what brings me joy is playing with my dog.

I'm Audrey and I'm seven years old. I live in Blacksburg, Virginia. And what makes me happy is playing with my grandma and grandpa's dog. Hello, my name is Oliver. I'm eight years old. I live in Goldberg, Australia. And my puppy, Doug, makes me happy. I'm Ronnie. I'm four years old. What brings me joy is to have my doggie.

My name is Zelda. I'm six years old. I live in Norwalk, Connecticut. What makes me happy is my dog, Cappy. Hi, my name is Adelaide. I live in BC, Canada. And what makes me happy is my flamingos. Hi, my name is

I'm five years old. I live in British Columbia, Canada. And what brings me joy is chasing my friend's chickens. My name is Hannah, and I'm five years old. And I'm from Gainesville, Florida. And I like snuggling with dogs. My name is Teddy, and I'm six years old. I live in Chicago. And what brings me joy is...

Playing with my pet cat, Kilty, and playing with my friend, Adeline. I'm from Missouri Springfield, and I'm five years old, and my name's Riley. And what brings me joy is my leopard gecko, Lonnie. My name is Talon. I live in Ontario, Canada, and what makes me happy is when my dogs cuddle with me.

We got another, we got actually more than one kid who wrote about sandwiches. My name's Anonka. I live in Manhattan, New York. I'm six years old. And the thing that makes me happy is when my dad makes me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Hi, my name is Robert and I live in San Antonio, Texas. And I'm nine years old.

And my favorite things about my family is my family and the sandwiches my dad always makes.

Is there something about having somebody else make you some food that you love that just makes you feel so excited? Oh, absolutely. I think that's one of the things that most people, even if they didn't write in, would say, oh, it's the special kind of toast that my grandmother makes or it's like our family holiday cookies that we always bake. There's something about that connection between, you know, somebody making a special thing for you and a warm, happy feeling. That's really fun to think about. Yeah.

Here are a few more delicious things that give you the giggles. Hi, my name is Libby. I live in St. Albans, Vermont. I'm three years old. I'm joyful when I eat my favorite food soup. Hi, my name's Cece, and I'm seven years old, and I live in Thailand. And the thing that brings me happiness is when I get food.

some snacks and food and when I get books and stuff and I am also happy when I go to Shinrai and I get some Saccones. My name is Elsie and I live in Portland, Oregon.

I'm five years old and what brings me joy is playing with my friends and eating cupcakes. My name is Max and I am from Cincinnati, Ohio. What makes me happy is reading books, eating watermelon, eating sweets, and eating pizza. My name is Malcolm. I'm six years old and I'm from Arkansas and

My favorite thing to do is when people make me my favorite snack. My name is Addison and I'm six years old and I live in Canada. What makes me happy is making gingerbread cookies. A lot of you told us hugs give you the warm fuzzies. My name is Evie and I am seven years old and I live in Key, Weston, Wisconsin.

And what makes me happy is giving a hug to my mom. My name's Clayton, and I'm six years old, and I'm in kindergarten. What makes me happy is my mom and dad hugging. Hi, my name is Kayla. I am nine years old. I am from Miami, Florida. What makes me happy is to hug and play with my friends.

Hi, my name is Emmett. I'm from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and I'm five years old. And what makes me happy is my mom and dad hugging me.

My name is Ivy. I'm 10 years old. I live in China. I feel happy when my mommy hugs me. Hi, my name is Chris Min. I'm 6 years old. I live in Louisville, Kentucky. And what makes me happy is when I get mommy hugs.

My name is Eliza. I'm six and a half years old. I live in Sao Paulo, Brazil. And it makes me happy when I hug my friends. My name is Ruth. I'm from Montreal, Venezuela. I'm six years old. So what makes me happy is when I get to hug my mom and dad.

My name is Elliot. I am six years old. I live in Calgary, Alberta and what makes me happy is when I give my mum a hug. My name is Nicole. I'm six years old. I'm from Canada. What I like is hugs from my mum. Hi, I'm Ivy and I'm eight and I come from Melbourne, Australia. And what makes me happy is when I get a cuddle from my favourite toy.

My name is Sveet, and I'm from Israel, and I'm 70 years old. And what brings me joy is hugging my teddy bear. Sometimes you might not want to hug, but physical touch, somebody holding your hand or giving you a pat on the back when that's something that you're welcoming. How does actually touching someone contribute to our feelings of joy and happiness?

calmness and safety. The feeling of touch of being like having a warm social touch from someone else when you want it is a great way to help yourself feel comforted and calmed. I mean, we know this, as you say, from hugs or if you're trying to fall asleep, maybe if someone pats your back or strokes your hair, it's very calming. This is one of the reasons it's fun to pat a dog or a cat. And it's okay to say, I don't want to be touched right now. Sure. Or I'm

I don't like to be tickled, but I really like to have my back rubbed. Yes. That feels good to me. Right. And absolutely, because people are very different in what they like. And some people don't. They want to hold on to like a plush toy like they have a favorite toy.

We also got a lot of people who talked to us about learning new things and this sense of happiness that it gave them to be able to do something. Like Logan wrote in and said, I live in Atlanta. I am nine years old. And something that makes me happy is learning how to tie my shoe. Why? Because it helps.

is fun to do and you won't have to ask your mom to do it. What is it about getting something, like learning something and feeling that pride that makes us happy too? This is absolutely true. I'm very impressed that

he identified this because this is something that can make us happier. When we feel like we're growing, when we feel like we're learning, when we feel like we're mastering a skill like tying our shoe, when we're teaching, like teaching a dog to do all kinds of special tricks, when we're making things better, this is a big source of happiness for us. My name is Silas and I'm from Brooklyn, New York.

What makes me happy is learning about space, especially black holes and alien life. My name is Maverick. I am seven years old. I live in Yuma, Arizona. My favorite thing is getting a brand new book. My name is Sunset and I live in Switzerland. What makes me happy is reading chapter books. My name is Maggie. I'm nine years old. I live in Carlisle, Massachusetts. I feel happy.

when I am reading a good book like Harry Potter or Wings of Fire. Hi, my name is Alan. I am seven years old and I live in Brazil Florianopolis. What makes me happy is reading, going to school to learn,

and having hugs from my friends and family. Hi, my name is Milana. I am seven years old. I live in Apex, North Carolina. What makes me happy is learning animal facts, and when my friends ask me questions about animals, I know the right answer. Hello, my name is

My name is Alejandro. I'm three years old. I'm from Berkeley and I live in Toronto and my teachers make me happy. My name is Theo. I am from Fort Collins, Colorado and what makes me happy is books so that I can read books. My name is Lucy and I'm five years old. I live in Spring, Virginia. What makes me happy is

It's learning. My name is Louisa. I'm seven years old. I live in St. Paul, Minnesota. What brings me joy is reading. My name is Lauren and I am six years old. One thing that brings me joy is learning to be smart. My name is Henry. I live in California. The thing that brings me joy is reading a good book. Hi, my

But here's the tricky part. Sometimes when you're learning to do a new thing, it can be really frustrating.

Sometimes it doesn't make us happy right away because when you're learning to tie your shoe or you're learning to read or you're learning to play the violin, there's a lot of time when you're frustrated. You feel like you can't do what you want. You have to practice. You're not as good as you want to be. You have an idea in your head of like how a picture should look, but then you can't make it look the way you want. And that can...

be frustrating. But when we move past that, when we remember, okay, this is the hard part, but it's going to feel really great when I master this skill or this task, or I do something the way that I want, it gives us such a big boost. So it's very helpful to remember that sometimes it takes a while to get to the happy part, but it's coming if you stick with it.

This episode is coming out in the last few days of the year, so almost all of you have celebrated a birthday already, and that makes you pretty happy. My name is Daniel. I'm nearly seven, and what makes me happy is that my birthday is on the 25th of December. I'm Maddie.

I live in Jackson, Tennessee. I'm about to turn five and what brings me joy is my birthday. Hi, my name is Prasanna. I just turned 11 and I live in Cupertino, California. What makes me happy is my birthday and when my brother makes me fried tofu with soy sauce.

Hi, my name is West. I am nine years old. I live in Silverton, Oregon. Something that makes me happy is going skiing and having a birthday party. Hi.

Hi, my name is Kira. I'm five years old. I live in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and my Christmas tree makes me happy because it's beautiful. My name is George, and I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I am five and a half years old. I feel joy to get presents on Christmas.

Hi, my name is Lincoln. I'm seven years old. I live in Queensborough, New York. Time with my family on Christmas brings me joy. Hi, my name is Nava.

Six years old, I live in Riverland. This is what makes me happy, getting presents. My name is Grayson and I'm from Georgia, Vermont and lacrosse brings me joy. Hi, my name is Charlie. My name is Ron. We are twins. And we are seven years old.

We come from Ireland and we live in Geneva, Switzerland. And the thing that makes me happy is tobogganing with my brother. And the thing that makes me happy is to have Christmas with my family. Okay, those are events that can definitely make someone smile. But our happiness podcaster and author Gretchen Rubin told us that one of the best ways people can be happy is...

is to figure out what you like to do and then just do that thing. One thing I hear from adults a lot is they don't know how to have fun. They don't remember how to have fun. And what I often say to them is, well, what did you do for fun when you were 10 years old? Because what you did for fun when you were 10 years old is probably something that you would enjoy as an adult.

But then sometimes kids say, I don't know what I want to do for fun because I feel like I'm always racing around doing what everybody's telling me to do. I don't know what I would do for fun. And I would say, it's really important to know what is fun for you. Not what everybody else is telling you is fun. Not what you think should be fun. Not what your friends tell you is fun. Not what's assigned to you. But

if you really had a magical day where you could do anything you wanted to do, what would you do? And really try to do that. Try to make time for that. Because play is the work of childhood, but then often that play has very big implications for what we do when we grow up. And so it's

It really matters more than you think to know what is fun for you. Need some inspiration? Here are a lot of you telling us what you do for fun. My name is Mims and I'm eight and a half years old and I live in Atlanta, Georgia and I feel joy when I jump in leaf piles in the fall. My name is Everett and I am four years old and

I'm from Egypt but we live in India. And my favorite thing is to ride my bounce bike. I'm Michael from the U.P. and something that makes me happy is biking. My name is Ken. I'm five years old. I live in California.

I'm happy when I ride a bike. My name is Milo. I am seven years old and I live in Gilbert, Arizona. And what makes me happy is playing soccer. My name is Jackie. I'm nine years old. I live in Taipei, Taiwan. Skateboarding, drawing, doing sports makes me happy. My name is Andrew. I'm from Mississippi and

I like to catch the football with my dad and play with friends. My name is Cameron, I'm 10 years old and I'm from Toronto, Ontario. And something that brings me joy is when I score a goal in a soccer game.

Hello, my name is Amir. I'm five years old. I live in Paris and what makes me happy is doing sports like basketball, rugby, tennis, swimming, football. All kinds of sports makes me happy. Hi, my name is Amir. I'm five and a half years old.

I live in Bristol, England. When I'm riding my scooter, it makes me so happy. Hello, I am Liv. I'm 10 years old and I am from Taiwan.

I would say when I play badminton, it will make me happy because I really love this sport. I also find playing sports really fun. It makes me really happy to go outside for a long run or to go for a hike in the woods. And I love playing basketball with my son. My name is Thomas. I live in Waterville, Ontario.

And what makes me happy is when I get to build Lego. My name is Benson and I am seven years old. I am from Houston, Texas.

What makes me happy is building any Lego sets because I like the way they look when they are finished. I'm Aura. I'm eight years old. I'm from Shanghai, China. And the thing that makes me happy is when mom buys me a new toy. My name is Clara. I live in New Prague, Minnesota and what brings me joy

is arts and crafts. I'm Viola. I'm from Ashland, Oregon, and I'm five years old. What makes me happy is crafting. My name is Laura. I'm 10 years old. I live in Winter Garden, Florida, and I feel happy whenever I draw.

Hi, my name is Lily. I am seven years old. I live in Nashville, Tennessee, and something that brings me joy is arts and crafts. Doing arts and crafts or Lego can be a really great way to focus on one task and kind of block out everything else. My name is Charlotte. I'm five years old. I live in Edina, Minnesota, and what makes me happy is the color red.

Hello, my name is Tejas and I'm 12 years old. I live in Canberra, Australia. Some things that make me happy are aircraft and the drums. My name is Laura, I'm 5 years old and I live in Newcastle, Washington State. And what makes me happy is playing with my baby dog.

Hi, my name is Anderson. I live in Seattle, Washington. I am seven years old and what makes me happy is playing Minecraft and Monopoly and being with my friends. My name is Lucas and I live in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

And the thing that brings me joy is when I play games with mom. My name is Mika. I'm five years old. I live in Oregon. What makes me happy is playing with my friends, being outside, camping in the fresh air, doing art, running around at school. My name is Spencer. I'm nine years old. I live in Studio City, California. And what makes me happy is...

When I play Roblox on my iPad, Roblox Doors, it's my favorite game.

and when I get a brand new Lego set because I love to build Legos. I'm Gillian, I'm six years old. I live in Milan and what makes me happy is playing with my neighbours, jogging, going swimming. Hi, my name's Carlotta, I'm nine years old. I live in Unterregry, Switzerland and what makes me happy is doing gymnastics.

My name is Emmalyn, I'm seven years old. I live in Springfield, Virginia and what makes me happy is going on new adventures. Hi, I'm Jack and I'm seven. And hi, I'm Ollie and I'm ten and we live in York, England.

What makes me happy is quizzes. And what makes me happy is sitting in front of the fire watching movies with my dog. These are all so great! Hi, my name is Jonah. I live in Fairfield, Connecticut. And what brings me joy is being able to play outside with fresh air. My name is Naya. I'm from China. I'm six years old.

What makes me happy is making friends and taking buses. Taking buses makes me happy because

I go to the second floor. It feels like I'm driving a double-decker bus. What makes me happy is me by my family, having my toys, having my electronics, having my stuffies. My name is Theo. I'm four years old and

And the thing that makes me happy is my mom and going to Lake Lingua. My name is Will. I live in Flagstaff, and I'm five years old. And what makes me happy is playing tag and going to the ocean. My name is Kai. I am 11 years old, and I live in Columbus, Ohio.

What makes me happy is seeing model trains and playing with toy trains. My name's Libby, and I'm from North Carolina, and I'm six. What makes me happy? My puppy, Boo, my family, my friends, and art.

I'm Jewel. I am five years old. I live in the Canary Islands. I like being with Papa and Mama, going to the skate park, and going to surf. My name is Gwena. I'm seven years old, and I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia. What makes me happy is watching movies. My name is Issa. I live in Oldie Manor, and the thing that makes me happy is the hugs.

My name is Moosa. I'm five years old. I live in Orneve, Maryland. And the thing that makes me happy is jumping on the trampoline. My name is Jonah. I am eight years old. My name is Clara. I'm five years old. We live in...

Saigon and Vietnam. And what makes me happy is when a friend plays with me. When I go to the playground, that makes me happy. My name is Julia. I'm eight years old and I come from Warsaw, Poland. I'm happy when I can draw or meet with my friends or listen to audiobooks and watch the television. My name is Eileen.

I am six and a half years old. I live in Houston, Texas, and what makes me happy is scooting with my mommy and daddy. What makes me happy is organizing. My name is Charlotte. I'm nine years old, and I live in Toronto. My name is Sebastian. I'm six years old. I live in California, and I get real

I'm really happy here when I get to study walks with my dad. Hello, my name is Rowan. I am five years old. I live in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. And what makes me happy is biking. My name is Richard and I'm seven years old as I live in London, England. One of the many things that makes me happy is honestly going to my neighbour's house and playing games for three hours.

My name is Joanna. I'm eight years old. I live in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. And what makes me happy is performing in front of a big audience. Hi, my name is Charlotte and I am from North Carolina. And I am five years old and what makes me happy is going to the zoo to see animals and riding my bike. Hi, my name is Avery. I'm eight years old and I live in St. John's, Michigan. One of the things that makes me happy is playing basketball.

I'm five years old. I live in Michigan and what makes me happy is going to Glen Harbour with my family. My name is Sawyer and I am five. I live in St. Louis, Missouri and what makes me happy is trying new foods and going to new places. Also trying new things like riding my bike for the first time. Hi, my name is Adira. I live in New York.

And this is how I get happy. Thanks, my best friend. My name is Molly. I'm 13. I live in Pennsylvania. And something that makes me happy is shelving books at my library. Lincoln from New England. And what makes me excited is decorating my room and riding my bike. Lincoln out. This is such an awesome list. What makes you, listening right now, you happy?

What do you do that's the most fun? And how are you going to keep that sense of fun as you get older? And adults, what about you? What do you do that's fun? How do you bring joy to your life? Before we go, here's one more question from Evie. Hello, But Why. My name's Evie and I'm nine years old and I live in Eastbourne, UK. What makes me happy is when I'm playing with my best friend and snuggling with my mummy. What makes you happy?

Thanks for asking, Evie. I mentioned a minute ago that I really like hiking and running. Being outside in the woods alone, well, alone with my dog, is really something that brings me a lot of joy. And when I'm out in the woods, I especially like finding new mushrooms and trying to identify what kind they are.

Actually, a lot of the things you talked about today in this episode make me happy too. And I try to make a mental note of one small moment each day that fills me with joy. And that has really helped me feel like a happier person overall. Well, that's it for this episode. We really hope everyone has a happy and safe 2024.

But Y's team includes Melody Beaudet, Kiana Haskin, and me, Jane Lindholm. Making this show and hearing from you makes all three of us happy. We produce this program at Vermont Public, and it's distributed by PRX. Our theme music is by Luke Reynolds. We'll be back in two weeks with an all-new episode. Until then, stay curious. From PRX.