Promoting Health and Well-Being in our Children.

When I realize that my daughter's second birthday is a few short months away, I begin to think about her life in the future. I think about kindergarten, starting first grade, helping her do homework late at night, having little slumber parties with her friends, packing her lunch, and all the fun activities and milestones we have ahead of us.

One of the most fundamental parts of her future that I think about is also her health and well-being. I want to make sure that she forms good eating habits from early on. I want to make sure that she is strong and independent. I want to make sure she knows the importance of safety and staying out of harms way. I want to make sure that she always understands how important her health is in setting a foundation for a positive and bright future that is ahead of her.

So what is one mom to do when she's up late at night pondering these questions in her head? Why, she researches, and browses, and jots down all sorts of ideas. Because one day? Sooner than later, this will be very useful in our household as we begin to send our kids off to school.  

Without further adieu, let me present to you the list that I have compiled in promoting good health.

 4 Learning Tips for kids in promoting Good Health & Wellness.

1. Teach them through reading. I know in our family, our daughter soaks up reading. And I think that many children hold onto what they see in the books that we read them and go on to apply them in life. Two books that I have found to have great reviews and resources for parents are:

• The Kid's Guide to First Aid: All about bruises, burns, stings, sprains, and ouches.  By: The Williamson Publishing Company 

• Eat Healthy, Feel Great. By: William Sears, Martha Sears, Christie Watts Kelly and Renee Andriani

2.  Pack a well-balanced healthy lunch. As I mentioned in previous posts, we like to incorporate organic in most of the foods that we buy for our family. We also stress the importance of fruits and veggies, and most importantly healthy snacks. Snacks are a major part of our child's diet and it is important, as parents, for us to provide snacks to them that are not only nutritional but sufficient to satisfy their needs and provide them energy. Also? Write a little note. Put some stickers in there, or something that makes them happy.They will look forward to their lunch that much more.

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3. Teach them the importance of hand hygiene. Perhaps its the nurse in me, but I have always been taught that the best most powerful source of protection against germs is "Hand Hygiene." Therefore, it is important for me to set this example for my children and teach them the importance of washing their hands each and every time. Throw in those little hand sanitizer bottles in their lunch boxes, backpacks, and even the wipes in their jackets and jeans.

4.Promoting exercise. I think it is unfortunate that we hear so many statistics about childhood obesity. It is so important for us parents to instill activity and exercise in our children from an early age. After school every day, I plan on having 1-2 hours of "outside time" for my children. No video games. No ipods and ipads and so forth. Actual activity time. And in order to do so, its important to make exercise fun and interactive for our school aged children. Some activities that come to mind:

• Swimming. Whether its taking them to the neighborhood pool, or signing them up for swim lessons. 
• Camp. Kids benefit so much from camp in the summers. Not only do they learn a lot of fundamental tools of life, but they also continue to be active and practice exercise.
• The park. What kid doesn't love swinging off the bars and running around after their friends or brothers and sisters?
•  Find a hobby to do together. Whether its teaching your kid a sport such a tennis, or soccer, or basketball... find something that the both of you can enjoy and do together.

There are so many more things that I believe are critical in raising our children to be healthy, strong, and active. I think as parents, we just learn as we go. And it's important to remember that we can start young, we can do our research early, and we can change our habits so that we set a good example for our children as they grow.

As a member of Clever Girls Collective, I was selected to participate in the Healthy Habits program sponsored by Kimberly-Clark and Colgate-Palmolive. The content and opinions expressed here are all my own. #healthyhabits #cgc
 
I was selected for this sponsored Healthy Routines opportunity as a member of  Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. #healthyhabits #cgc http://on.fb.me/NhW05C