5 Healthy Habits Parents Should Teach Their Kids
As a parent, you pass on more to your child than your genes. They also pick up on your habits, both the good ones and the bad ones. If you care about the well-being of your kids, then make sure to share these 5 healthy habits with them:
1. Don’t Skip Breakfast
Instilling a regular routine of mealtimes during childhood will increase the chances that your kids will continue this habit in the future. Teach them that a healthy breakfast can kick start their brain, helps keep them strong, and keeps chronic diseases at bay. Harvard Medical School confirms that going without breakfast correlates with four times the likelihood of obesity1. Although the high fiber in many popular breakfast cereals can help reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease, be on the lookout for the sugar content.
2. Get Off the Couch
Make sure to limit time watching T.V. or playing video games and encourage your children to play outside. The Mayo Clinic reports that kids who watch more than an hour or two of television a day are at greater risk for a number of health problems, including2:
- Impaired performance at school
- Behavioral difficulties, including emotional, social, and attention disorders
- Obesity or being overweight
- Irregular sleep, including trouble falling asleep and resisting bedtime
3. Try Reading Every Day
Reading to your children can begin as early as 6 month of age. It is important for your kids to develop strong reading skills, as reading is beneficial both now and later in life. According to the Cleveland Clinic, reading helps build a child’s self-esteem, relationships with parents and others, and success in later life3. Try and make reading a part of your children's bedtime routine and choose books your kids like so they view reading as a treat rather than a chore.
4. Drink Water, Not Soda
Even though it may be difficult for your kids to understand all of the reasons why too much sugar is bad for them, you can help them understand the basics. Sugar can be addictive, so it's best not to let them develop an early habit. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the sugar in soft drinks provides no nutrients and also adds calories that can lead to weight problems4. Water, however, is essential for good health, and most adults don't drink enough, so this is a good habit to start early.
5. Stay Positive
It's easy for a child to get down on themselves when things don't go their way. Teach them to have a positive outlook and never give up. According to research in the Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, children as well as adults can benefit from positive thinking and good relationships5.
Along with these healthy habits, taking a daily children's multivitamin can help your child develop a habit of self-care. NATURELO offers two great-tasting options for kids: our Chewable Multivitamin for Children and our Whole Food Vitamin Gummies for Kids.
References:
1. Weight loss and breakfast : Breakfast benefits health and can aid in weight loss, February, 2005
2. The Mayo Clinic: Screen time and children — How to guide your child
3. The Surprising Benefits of Reading With Your Kids, Novak Djovak Foundation, April 2016
4. The American Heart Association: Overview of Sugar
5. The Third Rail of Family Systems: Sibling Relationships, Mental and Behavioral Health, and Preventive Intervention in Childhood and Adolescence, 2012 Mar; 15(1): 43–57