Parents, we’ve all heard it before: our kids are an extension of us. They’re also highly impressionable, which means anything we say or do, they will say and do… louder. If we want to avoid passing on our vices to our little ones, we have to start by deciding which healthy habits we want to adopt.
Easy enough right? These five basic health tips for kids will have your little ones asking for second helpings of the ‘green stuff.’ Keep reading to discover five health tips for kids and parents that will get you and your family excited to learn how to eat healthy and live happier, joyful lives!
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Be consistent. While your kids are still young and susceptible to even the slightest change in routine, it’s important to establish one that’s doable and realistic. For example, when sitting down to eat dinner, make it a rule that your kiddos eat their veggies first before moving on to the main dish. By the time they start feeling full, they’ll have finished the most important part of the meal first, leaving the least important food on the plate. Do this for every meal and you’ll have created an easy precedent for the whole family to follow.
Give them choices. We talked to some real-life moms about this one. One said that offering her kids a variety of choices in the form of a “snack box” has encouraged them to start choosing healthy sides all on their own! By putting a combination of sweet treats and wholesome sides like raw veggie sticks, cheese, and nuts, into the same box and presenting it to your child, they’ll see that you aren’t depriving them of the good stuff, rather giving them the option of saving the yummiest treats for later! Once the box has been emptied, you can start over with all-new snacks!
Educate! It's rewarding to be able to educate your little ones on the importance of eating healthy. Every time you incorporate something healthy onto the dinner plate, and before your child can object, let them know what part of their body this particular food group is supporting: “Spinach is a good source of Vitamin C, and Vitamin C will help your bones grow!” This will not only get them excited about eating that particular food, but it should also spark their curiosity about other healthy foods and how they function!
Set the example. Perhaps the most important health advice we can offer is to practice what you preach. If we want our kids to start eating the right foods, then we need to start by setting the example! After all, they look up to us. So, parents, if the goal is to get your kids to start every meal by eating the veggies first, make sure everyone at the dinner table is following suit. You can also put together a snack box for yourself and then decide which healthy snack you and your child should eat together.
Offer tasty side dips. This one doesn’t need much explaining—for those of us living in the South, Ranch dressing does wonders for a plethora of unsavory foods! It isn’t the most nutritious dip though, is it? Tasty dips that are healthy include Greek yogurt, almond butter, and hummus, to name just a few! When you dole out the dip to your youngsters, be sure to control the portion size; no more than a tablespoon or two.
Have some health tips for kids of your own? Feel free to share them in a comment below!
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"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
John 15:12 (ESV)
