Elevating young mind and body to new heights of well-being. Photo Source: Freepik
- Key steps to ensure your child’s health while keeping it fun.
Ensuring the importance of a child’s healthy lifestyle has never been harder, especially in today’s age, where smartphones are their new best friends and fast food joints are on every street corner. While providing a warm home for our children is essential, the health and happiness of our offspring should be among our top priorities.
Despite the fact that many working parents nowadays are juggling multiple responsibilities, we must remember that providing a healthy lifestyle for our children is not as difficult as it may appear. Here, you’ll join me as we delve into real-world methods and ideas that might help parents provide their children with a healthy and fulfilling life despite their hectic schedules.
1/ Start The Day with a Healthy, Filling Breakfast
Building healthy habits from sunrise with little ones. Photo Source: Freepik
The first step towards creating a healthier lifestyle for children is providing a nutritious breakfast daily. As a kid, I did not prefer having breakfast. “I’m not hungry yet” was what I told my mom every morning. But only I knew how many times I regretted it afterwards. Using too much of my brain made me hungry before recess, and I couldn’t focus on any of my teacher’s words. And slowly, I changed the habit and even prepared my own breakfast!
Like us adults, children, too, require that morning fuel to kick-start their metabolism and set the tone for the day. Nutritious breakfast also helps children feel more proactive and stay alert at school.
But it’s not just about any breakfast; the meal choice is essential, too. Sugary cereals and pastries may be convenient, but they are not very nutritious and won’t fill kids up for long. Parents can opt for fibre-rich food, such as avocados and whole grains. This helps keep a child’s blood pressure steady and prevent constipation. Protein is also essential, so make sure their morning meal consists of food like eggs, low-fat milk, and lean meat to fuel them to develop properly.
And consistency is key. Maintaining a consistent eating schedule is a great way to give children a sense of balance and structure in their lives. As they grow, it may also help lessen the likelihood of our children becoming fussy eaters.
2/ Be Involved
Be your child’s biggest fan in their healthy journey. Photo Source: Freepik
Although my parents were not very involved in my daily activities, my beloved grandmother would go beyond the way to make herself involved in anything that I did when I was a kid. She was the one who taught me how to prepare my own breakfast and loved to get to know all the friends I made at school.
A healthy lifestyle is also created by increasing parental involvement at school and home. In the process of growing up, children rely on their parents for the most: love, attention, and guidance. When parents actively participate in a child’s life, it fosters a sense of security and belonging.
One way to be involved at school is by knowing the school’s regulations on healthy eating and exercise policies. Understanding our child’s daily environment can help us make educated choices about their diet and exercise. It is also encouraged to keep in touch with their teachers to learn more about their day-to-day activities and how they get along with their classmates.
At home, we can foster a health-conscious atmosphere by keeping a plentiful supply of fresh fruits and vegetables and refrain from always buying junk food and processed food. To make it fun, let your children join the grocery shopping adventures, where they can pick out their favourite fruits and vegetables.
This not only encourages healthier food choices but also makes their mood better at the dinner table. Involving children in the cooking process is an excellent approach to teaching them the value of a healthy diet and the importance of balanced meals. It is also an excellent parent-child bonding method through delicious and nutritious meals.
3/ There’s Food at Home
Feeding healthy bodies and bonds. Photo Source: Freepik
I used to get annoyed when my mom said, “there’s food at home,” whenever I requested to buy McDonald’s, but as I grew up, nothing is better than a good old family dinner at home. And it is also a fundamental aspect of building a healthy lifestyle for children.
While eating out may be convenient, try avoid going to restaurants whenever you feel too lazy to cook. This can lead to normalised unhealthy food choices and excessive portions for our little ones. Besides, who knows if there’s even any nutrition in those meals we eat at the restaurants?
If you truly want your children to adopt a healthy lifestyle, you must first lead by example. That’s why you should feed your family the same healthy grub you insist on feeding your children. There are many advantages of cooking and eating at home, one of them being the chance to adjust serving sizes based on our child’s specific needs.
When you cook at home, you have more freedom to experiment with new healthy dishes that are both tasty and nutritious for children. And it’s not only food: family dinners are a great way to bond with one another. There’s nothing like a family meal to bring everyone together, to catch up on the day’s events, to tell stories, and to create lasting bonds and memories.
4/ Let Them Play Outdoor
In the playground of life with the best playmates for a healthy future. Photo Source: Freepik
Ten years ago, playing outside could still be considered safe, and no one would bat an eye when they saw a group of kids playing. I remember playing outdoors with my friends, playing catch, hopscotch, and flying the kites. It was so much fun that everyone would get yelled at by their parents for playing outside until the sun set.
Now, many parents are still cautious about letting their children play outdoors. And no one can blame them. The worries of our children encountering any type of danger or hazard are valid. Though we must be vigilant about our children’s safety, we must also continue to encourage children to enjoy the great outdoors. Beyond promoting physical activity, playing outdoors has many positive benefits.
Playing outside is a great way to encourage physical activity, first and foremost. Nothing is a better method for our children to build physical strength than running, jumping, and exploring the open air. These exercises strengthen children’s bones and muscles and enhance their immune systems. Hence, playing outdoors serves as an effective defence against diseases.
Children who play outside with other kids gain important social skills and improve their communication skills. Positive behaviour and cooperation can be fostered through peer-to-peer relationships and create a sense of unity and companionship unmatched by lonely smartphone use, frequently keeping children isolated from real-world connections.
Healthy Habits Start Young
Even with all of our hectic schedules and all of the temptations that come along with contemporary living, it is possible to instil in our children a healthy lifestyle that they will carry with them into adulthood. It demands commitment, education, and active participation from parents, but the results in terms of a child’s well-being and general development are priceless.
