Teaching good habits to children is important for all parents. Doing things regularly becomes a habit, and these habits help develop your child’s personality. Children are familiar with their environment. They pay attention to everything that is happening around them. Therefore, as a parent, it is important to develop healthy habits in your child. Here are some of the healthy habits that can help your child practice regularly.
A child is a great imitator. That is, whatever your child sees and observes, he is bound to practice it. Therefore, teaching kids healthy habits will help them acquire skills for a better life ahead.
Following is a healthy habits list for kids that you may start early in life and give your child a great start for a healthier and better tomorrow:
- Eating Healthy and Well: Good healthy eating habits for kids are of utmost importance in the formative years. Though sometimes it may become quite challenging for you, the key is, to make the food look appealing to your child. Refrain from feeding junk and sugary food to your child. Make him aware of the ill effects of eating unhealthy food and help him in making the right food choices.
- Outdoor Activities: Along with a good diet, a kid needs to be physically active. Prompt your kid to spend more time doing outdoor activities, such as running, cycling, playing in the park with friends, etc. Physical activities energize the child and keep him happy and motivated.
- Sleeping on Time: Adequate amount of sleep and rest is important to regain and replenish the energy levels in a child’s body. Good sleep helps the child feel rejuvenated and fresh for the day. Set a sleeping routine for your child and adhere to it. Irregular sleeping hours can make your child irritable and erratic.
- Washing Hands Before and After Meals: Getting rid of germs holds priority, and you should teach your kid the importance of washing hands before and after meals. Teach your kid to use soap and also the correct technique of washing hands. Washing hands keep germs and infections at bay.
- Breakfast- The Most Important Meal of the Day: Never let your kid skip breakfast, as a proper breakfast will give him the necessary energy for the day. Fuelling up in the morning helps in keeping blood sugar levels in check and keeps your child active and energized.
- Inculcate Good Reading Habits: Reading is a very good habit for every child. Reading not only helps in grasping a language better, but a child learns to become more imaginative and creative. You may set up a regular reading schedule or even read together at bedtime.
- Bathing: Where some children are water babies, others despise water to a great extent. You must inculcate the habit of personal hygiene in your child. It is important to encourage him to bathe daily and also after an active session of outdoor activities.
- Spending Time with the Family: Spending time with the family is very important for growing children. They not only learn to bond with the family members but also learn the importance of spending quality family time together. Dinner is the ideal time for a family to bond together.
- No Aerated or Carbonated Drinks: Kids can easily become addicted to aerated or carbonated drinks which are incredibly harmful in the growing years. High levels of sugar and caffeine may have adverse effects on your child. Refrain from giving such drinks to young children and introduce them to healthy drinking options such as fresh fruit juices, milkshakes, or smoothies. Inculcating healthy food habits for kids is a prime responsibility of the parents.
- Brushing Teeth Twice a Day: You should strictly help your child follow the habit of brushing twice a day. Good oral hygiene cannot be overstated, as teeth are vulnerable to cavities. Kids usually dislike brushing, but if you educate your children about the importance of brushing, it will help them adopt this habit with ease.
- Tidying Up Their Room: Kids love to be messy and litter, which is normal. But it is very important that as a parent, you inculcate the importance of cleanliness to your child. Train your kid to put his toys and other belongings back in their place and help him learn to be organized from the beginning.
- Using a Tissue or Handkerchief: It is important to teach your kid how to use a handkerchief while coughing or sneezing. Teaching him to dispose of used tissues in the dustbin is equally important. Letting your child know about germs will keep him informed about preventing infections.
- Following a Vaccination Schedule: Vaccinations are very important to prevent your child from deadly diseases. Keep yourself braced with the vaccination schedule for your kid. Giving the right vaccine at the right time will save your child against many serious ailments. It is also recommended to keep the vaccination record handy and carry it along for all the visits to the doctor.
- Restricting Screen Time: Children love to sit in front of a television and watch their favorite shows. It is good to watch a cartoon or a movie, but it is very important to make a note of the time your child is spending in front of a T.V. watching too much television can not only affect the vision of a child, but they will become lazy and restless. Make a schedule and stick to it, though occasional binging may be allowed.
- Taking Care of Your Kid’s Mental Health: It is often seen that most parents pay more heed to the physical well-being of their kids than their mental well-being. It is very important to pay heed to the mental health of your kid. It is more important in cases where single parenting is involved.
- Teaching Them the Importance of Money: Teach your child the value and importance of money. Start by giving him a piggy bank and a weekly or monthly allowance. Teach him how he can effectively spend and save money. Making your child learn about the importance of money at an earlier stage is a good idea.
- Importance of Sharing: Most children find it very difficult to share their toys and other belongings with their siblings or friends. It is very important to teach sharing and caring for your child. Apart from tangible things, it is also important to learn to share intangible things such as feelings and emotions.
- Respecting Others: Using negative or harsh words can affect anyone in more ways than one. It helps to teach your child to be respectful, not only towards elders but towards kids of the same age and younger kids too. You need to teach your kid that hateful and spiteful words could destroy relationships.
- Equality: Teaching the virtue of equality is very important for a child. Whether a friend or a foe, rich or poor everyone should be treated equally and without any bias. No discrimination of any kind should be encouraged. Your kid should learn to treat people fairly.
- Learning To Accept Defeat: We all love to excel in whatever we do but what takes more effort and courage than winning, is to accept defeat in a dignified manner. Explain to your child that it is absolutely fine to lose. There is no need to feel depressed or dejected, but what is important is to get up and start again.
