It’s no secret that health is the key to happiness. So, if you want to help your children live their best lives, you have to focus on creating a lifetime of healthy habits. Otter Learning wants your children to thrive. With that in mind, here are a few routines you should focus on when it comes to keeping your kids healthy.
Find Ways to Model Healthy Behavior
One element of childhood learning patterns is observance of the example set by others. If you are a parent considering pursuing goals you set earlier in your life but that were put on hold because of life circumstances, it may be time to recommit, and model courageous behavior: recommitting to earlier goals even if they weren't achieved when you planned.
That could be healthy eating habits, fitness goals, pursuing a different career path or taking your current career to the next level. And that often means pursuing education goals like getting an online business degree - with the needed flexibility of a working parent - that will open doors to your future.
Teach Them to Take Care of Their Teeth
One of the best habits you can teach your kids is something they should be doing every morning: brushing their teeth! Aside from producing a sparkling smile, proper oral health can positively impact your children’s overall health. In addition to brushing and flossing, children and adults should visit their dentist every six months for an exam and cleaning.
Is getting your kids to floss and brush turning into a daily battle? Aetna suggests turning nightly brushing into a fun game or playing their favorite songs to get them to floss and brush their teeth twice a day. By making a potentially dull task into an entertaining event, kids are more likely to look forward to it and engage.
Encourage Healthy Habits and Relationships with Food
You know your children need to eat healthy to stay healthy. You can use a few tricks to instill healthy eating habits in your kids and have fun doing so. Think about getting them to help you cook healthy foods and visit growers’ markets to pick out healthy veggies together. You can also help them stick to a healthy diet by eating healthy foods yourself, but also be mindful of your child’s relationship with food.
Avoid using food to help your kids cope with negative feelings since this can create a pattern of emotional eating that can last into adulthood. Find other ways to reward and soothe your children, such as talking to them when they are upset or allowing them more time with their favorite toys when they are behaving well.
Find Fun Ways to Stay Fit and Healthy as a Family
Developing healthier food habits can prevent so many health issues for your children, now and as they grow up. To really drive those health benefits home, your kids also need to develop a regular physical fitness routine. Harvard studies have shown that daily doses of exercise can regulate blood pressure, prevent diabetes, and lessen feelings of anxiety and depression, even when you exercise alone. So, this really is one of the healthiest habits you can pass onto your children.
To make that habit stick, think about incorporating exercise into your family’s everyday routine. Get outside for a hike on a nearby nature trail, or help your kids get involved with a team sport. Another added benefit of playing sports is that children who engage in them are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, including drug and alcohol use.
Developing healthy habits early in life can help children stay on track throughout adulthood. So, by encouraging your children to eat healthfully, exercise more, reduce stress, and practice good oral hygiene, you’re not only helping them be healthier children. You are giving them the tools to live happy, fulfilling lives as adults, and pass those same lessons onto their own children.
Connect with Otter Learning for wholesome, worthwhile advice on helping your children live healthy lives.