If you want to live well, it is essential to maintain a daily routine that prioritizes health. And not just physical health, but emotional as well. When you are an adult, you are more aware of all this. But it’s not that simple for kids, and that’s why parents have a responsibility to establish these healthy habits.
Every first-time parent will quickly discover that this is something easier said than followed up on and done. Let’s take a look at some tips to help your young children develop healthy behaviors that will last a lifetime.
A Healthy Start
In early childhood, children are much more likely to accept what you teach them when they are still adjusting to new habits. In other words, it’s the best moment to promote healthy habits that will allow them to grow up healthy and carry them through their adult lives. Not all habits might stick, but you must introduce and enforce them from the beginning.
For example, a child’s eating routine begins to be formed between the first and second years of age. This is the best time to introduce balanced nutrition and encourage your kids to enjoy certain foods. A child raised on sweets is unlikely to change their eating habits for fruit later.
But, if you add fruits, vegetables, and cereals to their diet early on instead of processed foods, you will help create a healthy diet with all the right nutrients to grow healthy. The same goes for physical exercises. Of course, no one expects their kids to play basketball or soccer at two years old, but they must play outside and do some physical activity.
If, on the other hand, you drop a smartphone or tablet in the child’s hands at the first sign of crying, they will grow accustomed to electronic games and may adopt a sedentary routine. Finally, you should encourage hygiene habits from a very early age.
The objective is to help children learn about their body and the importance of keeping it clean, avoiding contact with certain objects and substances, brushing their teeth, avoiding taking dirty things into their mouths, and so on.
Remember that these healthy habits will only be adopted if they realize that you also act similarly. Maybe you need to review your own routine and choices so that they accept these habits more naturally.
Establishing Healthy Principles
Okay, we agree that it is necessary to introduce healthy principles and habits from a very early age so that the kids can acquire them and carry them on into adulthood. We also agree that you need to set the example and adopt a healthy routine for your children to emulate (avoid the famous “do as I say but not as I do”).
Here are some tips to help you with this difficult task.
- Cut Out Junk
Start paying more attention to the food you buy and serve your family. Cut junk food or products high in sugar and introduce healthier options gradually.
- Play With Colors
Create colorful dishes using fruits, vegetables, and cereals to spark your child’s imagination, enticing them to a healthier diet through visuals.
- Table Dining
Establish the table as the place to have meals, and always as a family. Discourage the habit of snacking in the bedroom or in front of the TV (and remember that you also need to break these habits. Otherwise, children will copy you).
- Portioning
Use portions suitable for each age group, avoiding serving more or less food than recommended.
- Make Healthy Habits Fun
Teach your children healthy oral habits from an early age. You can start by brushing their teeth, but try to make it a game to get them to start brushing on their own. It should be done twice a day.
- Check the Weather Report
Remind them of the importance of protecting the body properly according to the weather, the environment, or conditions like allergies and asthma. If they resist the idea, try to make it a fun habit by introducing more stylish items to clothing, such as beanies and colorful gloves in winter, kids’ designer prescription sunglasses to protect their eyes from UV rays, and branded sneakers that are weather-friendly to use outside (to walk in the mud or rain, for example).
- Wash First
Didactically explain the importance of bathing daily and always washing their hands before eating or putting in their mouth.
- Enjoy the Outdoors
If your kids spend a lot of time in front of the TV or playing video games, encourage them to stay active and healthy by proposing outdoor games and activities. If that doesn’t work, try more exotic activities like swimming or archery.
- Physically Fit
Always pay attention to physical needs like sleep, water, and a balanced diet. If your children are not getting enough sleep (there are a certain number of hours for each age) or eating little, take them in for a medical evaluation.
- The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree
Children grow up learning to admire their parents and respect their decisions and recommendations. So don’t wait until adolescence to try to create healthy habits in your children. As they look to you as an example, it will be necessary to review your routine and adopt healthy practices that demonstrate that it’s really worth eating all the broccoli or exercising frequently.
To make this happen, adopt some of the tips above or all of them. Remember that creating healthy habits shouldn’t be an obligation; on the contrary, try to make it a fun process for everyone. You can also encourage these practices by rewarding the kids for adopting healthy habits or good behavior. This way, you ensure that they maintain good practices for the rest of their lives without feeling obligated or forced.
