Healthy and unhealthy habits are learned at a young age.
Healthy and unhealthy habits are formed at a young age. Whether positive or negative, most children learn these habits from their parents. Here are 8 Healthy Things Every Kid Can Learn From Their Mom to help them be healthy in the future.
1. How to enjoy healthy eating
The foods we eat as children are closely related to the foods we eat as adults. Kids that grow up eating junk food on a regular basis can carry the habit into adulthood. They’re likely to pick up fast food and soda when there’s no time to make dinner.
A child with a bad diet is more likely to crave food with trans fats and added sugars as an adult. Processed ingredients can be as addictive as cigarettes, alcohol, and gambling. Refined sugars act like a drug. The more we eat, the more we crave.
A healthy diet starts early. One thing a child can learn from their parents is that fruits and vegetables are satisfying, flavorful parts of our diets. Fruits can be just as sweet as desserts, and seasoned vegetables can taste much better than greasy french fries.
For uber-nourishing meal ideas that’ll have kids cleaning their plates, whip up one of these 29 Fantastic & Healthy Kid-Friendly Recipes!
2. Drinking water instead of soda
Sodas and most fruit juices are filled with addictive processed sugars. When sugar hides in our drinks, we often don’t realize how much we’re consuming! The American Heart Association recommends that adults eat no more than 25 to 37 grams of sugar in a day. A single 20 oz bottle of soda contains around 65 grams.
It’s easier to start avoiding soda at a young age than to reverse an addiction later on. Kids should learn the importance of drinking water. You can add slices of citrus or cucumber to water for a refreshing natural flavor.
Slurps up! Here are 12 Easy Ways to Increase your Water Intake.
3. The importance of breakfast
Making breakfast a morning ritual raises the chance that your child will continue to have breakfast every day throughout college and adulthood.
Skipping breakfast has been linked to lower performance at school, weight gain, and higher junk food consumption. On the other hand, kids who eat a healthy breakfast tend to concentrate better, perform well at school, and have more energy for sports.
Busy days with a jam-packed schedule might tempt you to give breakfast a rain-check. But with these 10 Breakfasts in Under 10 Minutes, you can still make time for the morning meal, and feed your kids something nourishing!
4. Love for the outdoors
Television, laptops, tablets, cell phones: there’s no lack of indoor entertainment. But too much time inside can be bad for your kids. Staying indoors can result in vitamin D deficiency and a sedentary lifestyle that leaves people vulnerable to obesity and heart disease.
Kids should learn from their parents how to enjoy time outside. Children that spend all their free time in front of a screen will see this as the norm and likely continue this habit into adulthood. Children that lead a more active lifestyle are more likely to crave physical activity as adults. They’ll learn to enjoy things like hiking, running, and biking.
Shining sun and long, summer days make the perfect recipe for outdoor fun! Check out this Fitness Fun in the Sun article for awesome ideas on how to make your kid’s vacation fit-tastic!
5. Reading
The love of books grows from seeds planted early. The more a child reads, the better the child becomes at reading. The better a child is at reading, the more likely he or she is to enjoy books. Soon your kids will pick up books on their own, explore the genres that intrigue them, and learn all kinds of interesting things along the way.
Making reading a habit will have your kids making the most of their free time- a super educational, inspiring substitute for TV. For more mentally and physically nourishing alternatives to watching TV, take on this 7 Day No TV Challenge!
6. The importance of family time
Whether it’s nightly dinners or Sunday outings, family time is a tradition that will stay with your kids forever. Quality bonding time makes tons of great childhood memories and gives children the confidence to know that they have backup. Teaching your kids that there are people who will love them even when they make a mistake is a priceless gift.
Challenge your family to take on this fun and fabulous Family Fitness Challenge!
If you love vacationing with your crew, but want a nurturing destination that encourages a healthy lifestyle, make sure to check out these Fun Family Vacations that Keep you Fit!
7. How to say you’re sorry
We all mess up at some point in our lives. We break things, forget important dates, and accidentally hurt the people who love us most. When we inevitably make mistakes, it’s important to know how to give a heartfelt apology. Oftentimes, there’s nothing we can do to fix what we’ve broken – but saying sorry can heal a lot of hurt. You can teach your children how to make amends at a young age.
8. How to dream big
When you’re a child, imagination comes easy. There’s monsters hidden under the bed and fairies in the backyard. A broken broom can be anything from a galloping horse to an all-powerful magic wand. Nothing is impossible. But as we grow up, we lose the ability to see the fantastic in everyday life. There’s only dust bunnies under the bed and bugs in the backyard. A broken broomstick is only a broken broomstick.
Encourage your kids to dream big when they’re young, and the promise of possibility will stay with them forever.
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