Teaching kids about health and healthy living involves two key components. The first component is to teach kids about healthy lifestyles. The second component is to model a healthy lifestyle in your own choices and behaviors.
Eating Healthy
Obesity rate in today’s children are at an all time high. This means that we as proud parents need to emphasize to our kids that by providing healthy food choices are important to their health. Make the choices our kids make at home or when dining out good solid ones by providing healthy menus for them to choose from. Let them know that protein is important to their diet. Protein works like the spark plugs in our car. They give the engine the boost to create more energy to run efficient just like proteins does for the body.
Make the side dishes your children make, a healthy choice as well. Rice, pasta, and potatoes are good sources. Fruits and vegetables are good also. Grains on the other hand are best. Help them to understand the potions sizes of these sources. Carbs are also important in our kids diet. But help them to understand that not all carbs are good for them. Teach them which carbs are good and which ones are bad so they can they make better decision about the selections they eat.
A healthy diet must include some fats. Just remember to keep them at a minimum. Sugar if kept at a really low level can be eaten. Just don’t let your kids overdue it.
Healthy Exercise
Back when we were kids, we used to play outdoors until our parents called us to come inside. Safety is the concern of today’s parent which is why most kids are not outside playing with their friends. Parents are becoming even busier and most households that have two parents usually work outside the home in which scheduling needs to be penciled. There just isn’t enough time made for extra activities.
When children do have free time these days, they are more involved in stuff like gaming, computer time, or watching the tube. Although there are some video games that are geared to promote healthy activities. This is a great way to get children to exercise while using the gaming equipment. but still, video games are still a sit and play type of game.
Teaching kids about healthy exercise can be a fun thing which can promote healthy activities.
Some activities that can get the heart pumping would be walking, climbing trees, and even playing on the monkey bars. Riding your bike and or jumping rope, running and chasing your friends are numerous ways of creating healthy exercise.
Healthy Hygiene
Tiny kids love taking a bath. Usually, they cannot get enough tine in the bubbles and the toys that are within the tub with them. Parents are pretty much in control when bath their young. They come out squeaky clean and shiny. There was not a hassle when bathing them at that time. As children grow, the need to oversee them when bathing is necessary due to sometimes they will be lazy or even skip bating all together.
Boys and girls usually hit a point in their life where taking a shower or a bath is something like torture. They come out barley wet, fingernails are still dirty, and will dress in the same clothes again! Kids seen to be very unaware that they need to incorporate good healthy hygiene habits so they will not have an odor on them. As a parent, we need to teach our children how to wash themselves properly.
Teach your kids how to use a washcloth and how to wash each body part. Start teaching your kids when they are young so when they reach that anti bathing stage, they will resist the “I do Not Feel Like Taking A Bath”. Also instruct by making sure they clean between the toes and all body crevices. And yes this includes washing behind the ears! Also, show them how to message their scalp and working up the suds to wash the hair. Teaching how to dry off is just as important.
Dental care is another important part of good hygiene. Children should be taught how to brush and floss from a very young age. Mouthwash is also a great habit to initiate early in your child’s life so that it becomes a part of their lifelong healthy routine. Again, modeling these behaviors is the best way to teach them.
We Are Parents
Parents need to take their parenting responsibilities seriously. In addition to teaching them about eating right, exercising, and proper hygiene, they need to model all of these healthy behaviors personally. They also need to talk with their children-and listen-so they can help them avoid the negative influences of others and prevent them from adopting bad habits like smoking, drinking, or drugs.
Responsibility should also be taught to our kids. Examples would be to learn how to do the laundry, household chores as well. Teaching our kids these things will be of importance down the road for when they grow up and are out on their own.
Learn more about kids health and obesity. Stop by Warren D. Griffin’s blog where you can find out all about kids healthand how we as parents can save their lives.
