Nurturing Healthy Habits in Children
As a parent, you want to give your kids the best shot at a fulfilling life. An important part of that is encouraging healthy routines and behaviors from a young age. And the great news is that small, consistent lifestyle changes can nourish your children with balanced nutrition, activity, and rest.
Physical health is important, but also allows for their best brain development and learning. It’s a major component of our Early Intervention & Education Program.
This article offers simple, practical steps you can seamlessly build into your family’s regular routines.
Get Moving 60 Minutes Daily: Easy Ideas Kids Love
Only 1 in 4 children get 60 minutes of daily physical activity currently recommended (article here). For a kindergartner, scheduling three 20-minute bursts of play over waking hours prevents restlessness.
Fun activities include obstacle courses, mini-dance parties to favorite music, library/park walking trips, playground games - tag anyone? For teens, try treadmill intervals, shooting backyard hoops, or light cardio or weight lifting together as a family to switch things up!
Try creating an obstacle course in the backyard. Or let kids choose fun places to walk to together like the library, playground, or coffee shop. Also aim to limit sedentary time by keeping screens off during meals and play time.
We understand this can be hard in Wyoming for about 6 months of the year! But there are indoor toys the replicate playground equipment like jungle gyms. And DIY obstacle courses are sometimes the most fun. For teens, a small home gym with a cardio machine and light weights makes a big difference if you can’t afford a membership at the rec center.
Nutritious, Balanced Family Meals
The American Academy of Pediatrics urges home cooking over processed takeout whenever possible. Sit down dinners provide great bonding time while establishing positive food relationships when started young.
Have school-age kids select 1 new fruit/veggie ingredient weekly while teens learn portion control by serving themselves reasonably. For busy nights, meal prep ingredients on weekends - grilled chicken, quinoa, chopped veggies make healthy bowls in minutes!
Upgrade go-to recipes with veggie additions like peppers, spinach, and sweet potatoes while balancing treats carefully. Also, get kids involved in meal planning/prep to make eating healthy more fun!
You can also make healthy snacks like apple slices, carrot sticks or yogurt with berries easily accessible. Just be sure to limit sugary packaged snacks and model good portion sizes yourself.
Children often don’t enjoy a variety of foods because of undeveloped taste buds. You can make experimenting with new foods easier by making it a game of eating the rainbow. Also try putting two of your child’s favorites on a plate with one new food so at every meal they’re encouraged to try one new bite of a new food. This is trying new foods “one bite at a time”!
Prioritize Restorative Sleep
Sleep impacts everything from immune function to academic performance and mental health. The most important help you can give your children is a sleep routine. This trains their mind, body, and emotions to “shut down” at a specific time.
Ensure rooms remain cool, dark, and quiet for at least 8-11 recommended nightly hours across ages. Power down digital devices an hour before bedtime while reading together or taking a warm bath. Make their bedrooms a safe and secure place for them to feel most comfortable.
For help adjusting disrupted sleep patterns long-term, reach out to our pediatric sleep consultant.
Role Model Healthy Living
For better or worse, children notice and replicate everything parents do! Make personal wellness a part of your example to them. Choose nutritious snacks, stay active together, prioritize your own sleep, and discuss healthy decision-making.
The healthy habits outlined above are simple yet proven ways to get your kids on track for a lifetime of wellbeing. We know even small consistent changes enable outsized results over time. The key is not striving for perfection, but progress - do your best 80% of the time and take the pressure off on the bad days to just have fun together.
If the task of shifting dynamics feels daunting given your packed schedule or current lifestyle, don’t go it alone. Our team has helped thousands of kids and families reach healthy, thriving potential.
Ready to give your children the foundations needed to prosper? Call us today (307) 682-2392 to discuss a customized family wellness plan or book a consultation so we can build the healthy home your kids deserve. We even have home-based options available (learn more here).
This is for their future - let’s make it count!