than just your genes – they pick up your habits too, for better or for worse. Children learn by example and if you look after and value your own well-being kids will learn to do the same. Geraldine Walford, a consultant in child and adolescent psychiatry for Dr Morton's says:
"One of the ways children learn is by watching and imitating or modelling what others around them are doing. If you treat yourself and others with care, kindness and consideration then
they learn to do that too. If you are
harsh and critical with and about
others chances are they'll learn to do that too."
So here are the children-specific health habits you'd be wise to encourage in your kids now for life-long health:
1. Eat more mackerel
Research has shown a diet rich in
omega-3 is linked to better cognitive ability in kids and could potentially improve children's behaviour in and out of the classroom. Introduce oily fish into
your child's diet two or three times a week. The best sources are foods like tuna, trout, sardines, mackerel, pilchards and herring.
Get creative and make food fun for your kids so they adopt the right habits from an early age, says Net Doctor expert Dr Ranj Singh:
"Encourage your children to try
different food from an early age and to 'eat the rainbow': colourful foods are full of nutrients and are much more interesting to kids. A balanced diet that covers all the food groups (carbs, protein, fat, fibre etc) is vital for healthy growth and development."
2. Go to sleep and wake up at the
same time
We all know how crucial sleep is in all our lives – when we sleep, our body is able to get rid of toxins and renew its energy. So for kids this is fundamental.
Their sleeping pattern – whether or not they sleep and for how long – affects the entire family: "Sleep is vital for brain development
and behavioural health in children.
Get them into a good sleep routine.
Have a 'sleep ritual' every night with consistent sleep and wake times, and a wind-down routine with something like a bedtime story. This will help to regulate their sleep pattern and boost
overall health," says Dr Ranj.
If they're at an age where they have mobile phones and iPads, make sure they unplug and aren't taking them to bed.
3. Get outside every day
According to researchers at
Loughborough University, 91% of
children between the ages of two and four years do not meet UK guidelines for activity (which recommends at least three hours of activity a day). In fact, the majority of pre-school kids don't even manage one hour of movement a day,the shocking new stats show. Dr Ranj says:
"In good weather, take them outside and get them involved in any kind of physical activity, from sports to walking. In cold weather, wrap up and go out, join a sports centre or take up a hobby like swimming."
Michael Kelly, founder of Grow It
Yourself, suggests teach your kids how to sow and grow their own veg: "Kids love the process of sowing seeds and getting their hands in soil. Give them soil and seeds and let them at it! It doesn't even need a trip to an allotment to inspire them. They will get a great buzz from seeing a little seedling emerge from the soil and having a real plant to mind and, of course, they are more likely to try vegetables like spinach and peas when they've grown them themselves."
4. Drink more water
GP Roger Henderson says that many children are dehydrated, which leads to tiredness, poor concentration, irritability and headaches. Encourage them to drink more water throughout
the day – and cut out carbonated sugary drinks or high content sugar fruit juices.
Nutritionist Hilary Boddie, of
Healthspan suggests making sure there's always a jug of water on the table for them to drink at mealtimes.
5. Make healthy snacks easy to find
Stock your cupboards and fridge with a variety of healthy foods so they're always in sight. Hilary says: "Instead of stockpiling crisps and biscuits, encourage your children to eat more fruits and vegetables by making them just as convenient as sugar-rich snacks. Stock the fruit bowl with their favourite fruits; prepare some raw veg, such as easy-to-eat sticks of carrot, cucumber and pepper
and keep them in the fridge for them to nibble on when they need a snack."
6. Wash their hands
Washing your hands is by far the best way to prevent germs from spreading and to prevent kids from getting sick.
Good hand washing can protect you against the spread of many illnesses — from the common cold to more serious infections, such as meningitis, impetigo, bronchitis, hepatitis A and most types of
infectious diarrhoea. Getting kids into the routine of basic hygiene, such as washing hands and cleaning teeth twice a day, will keep the whole family healthier and prevent health issues later
in life.
7. Always eat breakfast
Breakfast is a hugely important meal for children. Research shows those who eat breakfast are twice as likely to perform well on tests and assessments than kids who skip it:
"It is really important that your
children start the day with a healthy breakfast to boost their energy levels for the day ahead. Missing out on something nutritious first thing in the
morning will only leave them craving something sweet for that 'quick fix' later on," says Hilary.
8. Sit down for dinner
The benefits of dinnertime can act as a double health whammy: the social aspects of everyone sitting down to spend quality time together is great for stress reduction, and sitting down for a
hearty meal will help to encourage
healthy, mindful eating. Hilary advises to always eat together as a family at the table, rather than in front of the TV:
"When everyone sits down to eat
together there is less chance the
children will eat the wrong foods or
fill up on snacks. Where possible,
involve your kids in the cooking and planning of family meals. It's
important to make mealtimes a
sociable time where the whole family gets together."
9. Limit TV and computer games
Watching too much TV or playing
computer games for hours can lead to a sedentary lifestyle and excessive snacking, which increase risks for obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Hilary suggests setting a limit and a fixed time for screen time, say after their evening meal or when homework is completed:
"Also agree a time when everyone in the family turns off their electronic devices for the day. These should all then be left to charge overnight in a designated area rather than be taken up into bedrooms."
10. Make gifts for the family
Doing things to help others and being kind makes us feel happy and good about ourselves, so it's worth
encouraging in your children. Geraldine says:
"You can start in younger children by teaching them the fun of giving within their own family, such as making or choosing presents for the family and wrapping them up. For older children,help them to find volunteering opportunities that they will enjoy,such as baking cakes or making things that can be raffled."
11. Make time for downtime
Geraldine says that the most important thing for kids is to have time for unplanned fun and exploration. This will help to develop creativity and encorage
them to connect with others and the world around them:
"As more and more things get
scheduled into children's time, life can start to feel too structured with little room for spontaneity. It's wonderful for children to learn to play an instrument and get involved in activities, but don't forget to make time for leisure time too. Now and then it's good to just relax after a family meal, sit and watch a family film together, play a silly game or have a singalong during a long car journey."
12. Open up
It's normal for children to worry about things (as adults we can easily forget that) and learning how to deal with our worries is all part of becoming healthy adults. Getting them to talk through their worries is one of the best ways to
learn this. Geraldine says that when they look worried make sure to find a space and time to talk with (not to) them. Sometimes children find it difficult to open up and if this is the case, try playing with toys or doing artwork together and at the same time
allow space for chatting whilst playing:
"Most children will, within a few
minutes, open up and respond to
gently probing questions. Give your
child time and space to express
themselves. Our tendency is to jump in and offer advice and 'fix' things before they've had the chance to tell us their story of what's going on."
It's also important to get children into the habit of understanding and
recognising what they're feeling, so they learn what feelings and emotions are.
Charlotte Curtis, who runs a parenting workshop says:
"We can do this by acknowledging and naming how they are responding and feeling in a particular situation. For
example, if a child falls over and hurts themselves we can be sensitive to that and say, 'I can see you have really hurt your knee, I bet that was painful' or when they're feeling angry about
something they want to do but you
feel it's not appropriate we could say 'I can see you're really angry that you can't play with the toy Ben has got,you'll have to wait until he had finished with it for your turn...'"
Source: NetDoctor.
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