These past years have proven that life can be unpredictable and uncertain. During these circumstances, habits that are important to our overall health and well-being may get lost in the shuffle. Parents and teachers can explain why these habits are important so as to help children feel empowered to make decisions on their own rather than feel as if it is a chore. Helping your child build healthy habits now will build a strong foundation for maintaining these habits throughout their life. Here are 8 tips on how to help kids build long-lasting, healthy habits:
1. Discuss connections between habits and emotions
Learning how to manage our emotions and building self-esteem is important but according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it can only be done effectively if we first take care of our basic needs. You can motivate your child to cultivate healthy habits by highlighting the connection between our emotions and our basic needs. The following questions will help your child draw important connections between their physical and mental health, and build their self-awareness. For example, you can ask:
Is it harder to fall asleep when you feel stressed?
When you feel upset, angry or unmotivated, do you tend to eat more or less than usual?
Do you feel more energized after playing video games or after exercising?
Do you tend to crave salty or sweet foods when you lack sleep?
Are you more irritable when you are hungry?
Is it harder to be patient when you feel tired?
2. Model behavior
The best way to establish healthy habits with children is to adopt these habits yourself. Try practicing healthy habits for a week before discussing them with your child to see if they notice. If they do, this is a great opportunity for a conversation about why you started going for walks or eating more vegetables. You can also create a list or calendar of activities you’d like to try each day, such as a meditation or that new zucchini bread recipe that's been on your Pinterest board for months, and ask your child if they’d like to create a calendar for themselves. Let your child know the healthy habits you have help you to feel better, for example you can say, “I feel energized after getting enough sleep last night” or “I feel calm after doing yoga.”
3. Establish routine
If you haven’t already, it is important to keep a consistent routine with habits that are important to your child’s health such as a set bedtime and mealtimes if possible. For children who do well with the structure of the school day, it may be beneficial to maintain a sense of structure with your summer schedule. It is also important to recognize that the routine you establish for the rest of the school year may be changing once school is out for the summer. Help your child prepare for this change by creating a visualization of what will remain the same in their current routine and brainstorm any additions they’d like to make such as a daily afternoon bike ride. Use our Daily Schedule printable to help create structure to your child’s day that include opportunities for reflection, gratitude and more!
4. Exercise daily
Research has shown that exercise can improve your emotional well-being, energy levels, and sleep in addition to reducing stress and improving your physical health. It is recommended that children get 60 minutes or more of exercise daily. If your child is learning from home, moving around may be helpful if your child is feeling restless or unmotivated. Our Brain Breaks activities are perfect for teachers and parents to help children feel re-energized. You can find more of these activities in our digital app, Wisdom: The World of Emotions (iOS, Android). KidsHealth shared that by exercising regularly, kids will be able to better handle emotional challenges such as starting a new school or studying for a difficult test. Even though your child may have a favorite activity such as playing on the playground or tossing a ball, it is important to try a variety of activities to practice skills such as strength, endurance, and flexibility. These activities can include swimming, running, bicycling, push-ups, climbing, stretching, and cartwheels. Lastly, to encourage your daily exercise for your child it is important to limit activities that are sedentary such as watching television or using other technology. For longer periods of sitting in the classroom, if you are a teacher you can try simple activities, such as the Brain Breaks, that work for both in-person or virtual learning to help with transitions.
5. Cook healthy recipes together
You’ve heard the popular expression “you are what you eat” but it may be more accurate to say “you feel what you eat” meaning there is a correlation between your diet and your emotional well-being.
The UK Mental Health Foundation recently shared that foods that have a negative effect on the brain include caffeine and chocolate because they “trick the brain into releasing chemicals we may be lacking, temporarily altering our mood” and saturated fats which “prevent the conversion of foods into nutrients the brain needs.” Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet will help your child to feel more energized. If you have a picky eater, this may be more challenging but your child may be more likely to try something new that they helped create! Cookbooks such as Super Foods for Super Kids Cookbook: 50 Delicious (and Secretly Healthy) Recipes Kids Will Love to Make by Noelle Martin MScFN RD are fun resources for finding new recipes to create together. Additionally, the Mental Health Foundation shares that there are psychological benefits to eating meals with others, “they give us a sense of rhythm and regularity in our lives, a chance to reflect on the day, and feel connected to others.” Keeping our bodies healthy and strong and building strong relationships can all happen in one meal!
6. Find mindful moments
Finding a mindful moment every day can be as simple as slowing down, stopping in the busyness of the day even though everything and everyone around you is still moving, and taking a deep breath. Children can benefit from these small moments as they will instill the value of feeling present and grounded in each moment. Wisdom: The World of Emotions features Mindfulness activities to try at the beginning of the day, before bed, or during transitions. While movement re-energizes our bodies, mindfulness can re-energize our minds by helping us to find inner peace, motivation, inspiration or all three! After you have introduced these activities to your child and included it in your daily routine, your child will be able to find mindful moments independently. At the end of the day you can ask your child, “how were you mindful today?” This skill takes time to learn, as it does for most adults too, but can improve your child’s self-awareness, social awareness, and empathy.
7. Get enough sleep
With even a little bit of sleep deprivation, not only is our capacity for learning reduced but also our capacity for empathy and self-regulation. Having a consistent sleep routine is just as important as making sure your child is getting enough sleep. Even children who are very adaptive may find that a sleep schedule will help them feel energized and ready to handle any bumps in the road that occur during the day such as a change in routine at school. For example, my students have experienced new classroom dynamics often the past few weeks with new students joining the classroom. With all the excitement, it was important for us to ensure that the children who needed to nap every afternoon could continue to do so at the same time so as to not interfere with their evening bedtime. Try these tips to establish healthy sleep habits.
8. Check in often
Parents and teachers are no strangers to sniffly noses and the occasional request for a Band-Aid, but it is important to check-in with our child to see how they are feeling emotionally as well. Without prodding, simply ask your child how they feel today and depending on whether their answer is related to their physical, mental, or emotional health you may be able to provide a suggestion for addressing your child’s needs. For example:
If your child tells you they are hungry a few hours before dinner time you can suggest making a healthy snack together.
If your child tells you they are bored, you can suggest a movement exercise.
If your child tells you they are frustrated with their homework, you can suggest a mindful activity.
Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the best ways to help my students grow. Building healthy habits can be fun and a great way to build positive, strong relationships with our families, friends, and communities!
