7 Healthy Habits Every Child Should Learn

Being a parent is a magical thing, but a saying you may well have heard before is very fitting here; with great power comes great responsibility. Being a parent gives you a chance to steer your children in the right direction and pass on 5 healthy habits to the future generation.

Use these slices of advice to see your children adopt healthy habits for now and in the future.

5 Healthy Habits to Teach Your Kids

Make eating enjoyable

A great habit for you and your children to get into is to eat a vast range of colorful foods. The health benefits are plentiful when it comes to nutrition. Meaning they will avoid the onset of illnesses and conditions related to poor food choices.

The British Heart Foundation offers a lovely breakdown of different colored foods that you can incorporate into meals. This helps to broaden horizons and expand young palates.

Don’t fret if you’re not the best chef ever. Remember that you don’t have to provide a rainbow of foods on your kid’s plates each evening; it’s about moderation. Incorporating a range of fruits and vegetables, you’re heading in the right direction while also preventing eating becoming a chore.

Have dinner as a family

This one can often come as a sticky wicket for many families due to the frantic demands bestowed upon parents these days. However, don’t let that stop you from trying to enjoy a family meal together as they hold much importance.

Sitting down to eat a family meal together, brings and creates tighter family bonds, helps children to become more well-adjusted. This also gives you the chance to ensure your little ones are eating nutritious meals, and reduces the chances of obesity. Don’t forget to commit to this, it’s one of the 5 healthy habits!

Be active

Not all children fall in love with sports and physical activity. However, there’s likely to be some kind of activity out there that catches their eye. Once you know what activity/sport they enjoy, encourage them to stick with it. This will help them to find it easier to stay healthy and active.

Being regularly active also helps with sleep. And sleep gives children the chance to develop physically and mentally. Forming a healthy trifecta that should be incorporated in every child’s life as they grow up.

This might not come until later in their childhood, so don’t force the issue. But be there to offer support and advice when the time comes. Do all you can do to expose your little ones and before you know it they’ll be asking for lifts to practice!

Don’t stand for a sedentary lifestyle

Another one of the 5 healthy habits to get your children into is to not let them turn into couch potatoes. According to research by the Mayo Clinic, children who view in excess of two hours of TV per day are at higher risk of suffering a host of issues such as:

• Obesity
• Diminished performance in education
• Troubles in dealing with emotional and social situations, as well as attention disorders
• Disturbed sleep
• Reduced time spent playing

Encourage daily reading

Developing strong reading skills as early as possible will stand your kids in great stead for the future. This is such a vital skill they will take with them throughout their lives. Despite all the tech out there these days, a classic paper book is the best way to learn.

Reading assists in encouraging self-esteem, relationships with family and friends, and is useful for overall success as your children grow up.

Bring reading in as part of an essential bedtime routine that will help them develop their skills and also send them to sleep effectively, allowing them to enjoy quality slumber too.

Plus 2 Other Important Tips!

Socialize with their friends

Here we give you other tips on top of the 5 healthy habits. A study carried out by the Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review cites that having friends and making friendships are both essential elements of being a child and having a healthy development at school age.

You may remember, but the pastime of playing with friends gives children the chance to teach themselves how to behave and develop social skills including communication, cooperation, and problem-solving.

Ideally, you should be encouraging your little ones to form an array of friendships and to also frequently play with their friends. It’s these skills they develop that they can use, develop and draw upon as they get older.

Stay positive

We’re finishing on a point that many of us could remember to feature in our lives. You will know perfectly well how easy it is to become disheartened at things in life when it’s not all going to plan.

As a parent though, you can show your children how effective being resilient can be and how staying positive will have the connotations that they will thrive on after initial setbacks.

Having a strong sense of self-esteem and an optimistic frame of mind comes by teaching your kids they are capable, lovable, and unique.

With these 5 healthy habits + 2 to go on, your job as a parent will be slightly easier, we hope!

Learn more about Parenting here. 

This story originally appeared on Edamama and is re-used with permission:

https://www.edamama.ph/discover/play-learn/7-healthy-habits-every-child-should-learn