This study aimed to investigate the effect of a young children’s happiness
program in relation with the Nuri curriculum on young children’s happiness and
self-esteem. Study subjects included 37 children aged 5 (experimental group 20,
comparative group 17) enrolled in A day care center and D day care center
located in K district, Seoul. As for the research procedure, an experiment was
conducted 48 times in 18 weeks, and the experimental group carried out the
children’s happiness program linked with the Nuri curriculum. In contrast, the
comparative group conducted general activities focusing on the subjects according
to the Nuri curriculum. Study results show that there was a significant difference
amongst 9 sub-domains related to young children’s happiness (health, emotion,
immersion, recognition and achievement, parent-child relationship, teacher-child
relationship, peer relationship, spirituality, life satisfaction) and 3 sub-domains
related to self-esteem (start and spirit of independence, sociality·emotionality,
academic achievement). Results of this study prove that the children’s happiness
program in relation with the Nuri curriculum is effective for increasing young
children’s happiness and self-esteem, and could be used as preliminary data for
the possibility of a happiness program in early childhood education settings and
happiness education in the future.