As a parent, teaching your kids to make healthy choices on their own is essential. Ultimately, you won’t always be there to make decisions for them, so you need to ensure that they’re capable of heading in the right direction. If you aren’t sure where to begin, Powershift Coaching shares some tips and resources to get you started right.
Teach Them to Cook Nutritious Meals
One reason that children may later struggle to maintain proper nutrition is a lack of cooking skills. By teaching them how to prepare healthy meals at home, you’re giving them a powerful tool that they can use later in life. You can al so show that nutritious eating can be delicious, making unhealthy options less appealing.
There are many ways to get your child started with cooking. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests using age-appropriate approaches to introduce techniques and concepts. That way, cooking isn’t just a chore or a skill they need to learn; it’s a fun activity that they get to do with a parent.
Also teach them that excessive amounts of caffeine isn’t a healthy option. Show them how much is in various beverages like coffee, soft drinks, and espresso, and tell them the side effects that it can have on the body, including anxiety, nervousness and sleepless nights. Replacing drinks with healthy options like water will avoid dehydration as well.
Make Exercise Part of Everyone’s Day
The CDC notes that children between the ages of 5 and 18 need a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day. Since some children may not want to engage in exercise on their own, modeling the behavior you want your children to adopt is often the easiest way to teach them to make healthier choices.
By ensuring that exercise is part of every household member’s day, you’re showing your kids that it needs to be a priority. However, you want to make working out as enjoyable for children as possible. That way, they have a positive association with physical activity.
Remember, outdoor play can qualify as physical activity, so don’t discount it as you look for ways to encourage your child to be active. Daily short dance parties can be another excellent option, particularly if your child is motivated by upbeat music.
Encourage Creative Expression
Encouraging your child’s creative expression can be an excellent way to support their mental health. One effective way to nurture their artistic side is to introduce them to a video maker tool. Online video editing tools are fantastic for young creators, offering accessibility and an easy-to-use interface that is ideal for beginners.
These platforms allow children to create their own short films, enabling them to tell stories, explore different visual and sound effects, and develop a deeper understanding of digital media. By using a video maker, kids can engage in a creative process that enhances their technological skills while allowing their imaginations to soar.
Interact with Animals
Interacting with animals can provide numerous benefits for kids. It promotes empathy and compassion as children learn to care for and understand the needs of living creatures. This can lead to the development of essential life skills such as responsibility and nurturing. Interactions with animals also offer a sense of companionship and emotional support, helping children build strong emotional bonds and reducing feelings of loneliness.
Furthermore, these interactions often encourage physical activity and outdoor play, as kids engage in activities like walking, playing fetch, or riding horses. Being around animals can have a calming effect, reducing stress and anxiety in children.
Discuss Safety
Many children don’t view the world around them as potentially dangerous. While that isn’t inherently a bad thing, it can mean that some kids may incidentally neglect their safety, particularly in situations that don’t seem risky on the surface.
If you want your children to be safe, have open, honest conversations about various risks and how to navigate them. Discuss what to do if a stranger engages with them in person or online. Also, have conversations about the impacts of bullying and how to deal with peer pressure. Talk about the physical, mental, and emotional risks of
substance use or abuse.
Prioritize Good Mental Health
Mental health is critical for everyone, ensuring they have the ability to navigate challenges and live their best life with greater ease. The issue is, not everyone makes it a priority. If that’s the case in your home, you’re not modeling good behavior for your children.
Making certain changes to your home environment can also positively impact mental health. For instance, reducing clutter or adding houseplants can reduce stress, making them worthwhile steps to take if you want to support your children mentally and emotionally.
Help Your Child Develop Healthy Habits
As a parent, it’s vital to instill in your children the ability to make sound and healthy decisions independently. So get started today by teaching them about nutrition, exercise, safety, and mental health.
Ed Carter
Through Powershift Coaching’s one to one coaching and group workshops, I can help your teen find their purpose, achieve their goals and remove any obstacles that may be inhibiting them from meeting them.. Visit my website to learn more!