Healthy Habits Children Need to Develop

Leading a healthy life consists of many different facets, including those related to our physical, mental and emotional health. As adults, we know what needs to be done to take care of ourselves, but for healthy habits to truly stick, it is best to begin encouraging them from an early age.

Healthy Habits for Kids

There are many healthy habits that children can benefit from starting at a young age.

1. Embrace colorful eating.Not only does a colorful meal look great, it can also have many health benefits! Teaching children to“eat the rainbow”, candy not included, can help set them up to enjoy colorful fruits and vegetables. Having a colorful diet can also help keep food from becoming standard and routine, with each meal being different and vibrant.
2. Don’t skip out on breakfast.We’ve long heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and for good reason—it truly is. A healthy breakfast can help supply energy, build strength and keep diseases at bay. Harvard Medical School has also found that skipping breakfast correlates with four times the likelihood of obesity.
3. Drink plenty of water.Water gives us life, and not getting enough in can be detrimental. Instead of allowing an overabundance of sugary drinks to be consumed, encourage an appreciation and enjoyment of drinking water in your home.
4. Emphasize quality sleep.Children need plenty of sleep, there’s just no way around it. Sleep helps the body recover, refuel and energize for growth. For children ages 3 to 5, the recommended amount is 11 to 13 hours. Children ages 5 to 10 need 10 to 11 hours, and children ages 10 to 17 need 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep per night.
5. Teach how to read food labels.Part of eating healthier means understanding just what exactly is in food. You can take some time to point out various nutritional facts of foods on labels when shopping with your children, highlighting areas to watch for such as calories, sugars and fats.
6. Stay positive.Have you ever considered positivity a habit? You should! Teaching children to be positive can help them learn resilience and encourage the development of healthy self-esteem and positive mindsets.

The development of healthy habits starts at home for children, but there is always the opportunity for those habits to be reinforced through curricular and extracurricular activities. Drama Kids International is proud to have the opportunity to help further instill healthy habits in children.