One of the best ways you can be the best parent you can possibly be is to cultivate a healthy lifestyle in your children. You are your kids’ most important role model, so it’s important that you sew the seeds of leading a healthy lifestyle in your children early. This way, they will be able to stay healthy all by themselves going into adulthood and will be able to remain healthy throughout their lives. Here are 7 ways you can teach your kids to lead a healthy lifestyle, and you can teach the importance of healthy living in a way your kids will always remember.
Exercise As A Family
If you want to teach your kids the importance of exercise and movement, you will need to make it fun. Exercising as a family is a fantastic way to promote the importance of movement and exercise. Going on walks, going swimming, and doing team sports with your children is a fantastic way to make exercise fun for kids and make them look forward to getting moving.
Teach them why they should exercise, how it benefits the body, and how they can get motivated to exercise.
Focus On Portion Control
Kids love treats like sweets and ice cream – and they shouldn’t be denied them every once in a while! It’s good for kids to have small amounts of treats as if they are prohibited, they might binge on them later on in life. However, kids who are allowed to eat these foods in moderation have a healthy relationship with food. It’s important however that you enact portion control on these treats and snacks, as this is much better when it comes to dietary health.
Promote Healthy Snacks
Although treats are important, it’s not a good idea to give treats as snacks to your kids every day. Instead, make sure there are plenty of healthy snacks in the house, so they become the norm. If your children are hungry in between meals, why not give them fruit snacks, cut-up veggies and hummus, or wholemeal cereal? This way, your kids will be full without eating lots of chocolate, crisps and sweets. Make sure to always have healthy snacks on you as well, so if you’re out and about, you don’t have to buy them sweets.
Teach Healthy Routines
Teaching your kids the importance of daily routines to promote your health is the best thing you can do when it comes to cultivating a healthy lifestyle. For example, washing hands before meal times, brushing teeth, and drinking water should all be at the forefront of a child’s routine. Modelling oral hygiene, cleanliness routines and self-care are so important so your kids can emulate healthy routines and keep them going throughout their lives. You are your child’s most important role model, so you should ensure that you’re modelling the best routines so your child can learn from you.
Make Sleep A Priority
When you ensure that your kids have fantastic sleep hygiene, you can improve their chances of having better sleep in adulthood. Studies have shown that adults who suffer from insomnia and other sleep issues did not have good sleep hygiene as a child. Ensuring that your kids avoid technology at least an hour before bed and keeping their bedroom as dark as possible are fantastic ways to improve your child’s sleep hygiene. Furthermore, investing in things like weighted blankets and blackout curtains can make your child’s bedroom a better environment to promote sleep hygiene. Sleep is a key factor in your child’s healthy lifestyle.
Teach The Importance of Cleanliness
Keeping clean is also a very important part of health, and your kids should know the importance of keeping clean from an early age. From using long bibs during toddler meal times to teaching older children why you should wash your hands before meal times, there are many ways you can teach your child about the importance of cleanliness. Involving your child in cleanliness routines such as cleaning up after mealtimes, washing clothes and bedding, and tidying toys is a great way to promote cleanliness in your kids. Teaching your kids the importance of cleanliness is important when it comes to teaching healthy lifestyles.
Promote and Prioritise Mental Health
Many people forget about mental health when teaching their kids a healthy lifestyle, but it is arguably the most important item on the list. When your kids can be confident in their mental health, they can lead the healthiest lifestyle of all. Make sure that your kids know the warning signs of a mental health downturn, and where to turn if they’re feeling low. Teaching self-care and meditation is one of the best things you can do if you want to promote a good sense of mental health care in your kids.
Teaching your kids a healthy lifestyle can be a lot simpler when you keep these things in mind – make sure to do all of these things for your kids!