We all know we have to teach our kids healthy habits. But where do we start? Today we will discuss at least 7 of the most important healthy habits for kids, they have to know and do every day to grow up happy and healthy. And the first one is the most important when it comes to keeping our families’ safe from threats like the corona virus infection.
ALSO READ How to stay healthy during times of stress
Healthy habits for kids facts
Did you know:
95% of people do not wash their hands properly after using the restroom? Seriously!?
Have you ever considered that your children might omit this obvious healthy habit, simply because you didn’t teach it to them! Are they going to be one of the 95% who don’t know how to wash their hands properly?
Well, I say no! Let’s make a point of teaching our kids healthy habits that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. And, let’s start today! Are you with me?
To make things easy for you
The next time you have to face a question like this from your child (as I have before from my kids),
how can I become a super healthy mommy?
The answer will be simple when you recall and suggest these 7 healthy habits for kids we will discuss in this post
So be sure to save the post in your best parenting board on Pinterest for easy access.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may be compensated when you make a purchase after clicking a link, with no added cost to you.
Let’s start off with the basics of what healthy habits are
What is a healthy habit
A healthy habit is something we do repeatedly to ensure physical, mental or emotional wellbeing. In other words, the things we do daily to keep ourselves sane and healthy.
However, developing a new habit is not always that easy, is it?
Top Healthy Habits for Kids Tip
When we keep in mind the rainbow result of pursuing a habit relentlessly the journey becomes a little bit easier. So, before trying to make healthy habit changes for yourself or for our kids, think why you are doing it. What do you want to achieve by learning a new habit? And when the end goal is clear, start with small actionable steps to get you there.
The biggest reason we often give up on our goals
for example, new year’s resolutions is because we make them without really thinking why … And, when we don’t have a solid end goal, we give up along the way.
So change that today and stay motivated. Teach your kids the benefit of healthy habits first and then easy ways to implement them.
Now let’s look at the 7 easy ways to be healthier – for kids, but just as vital for us as adults …
Healthy habits for kids number 1: Proper handwashing
Yes, this sounds elementary, but definitely worth a mention when you look at the alarming statistic I mentioned above:
95% of people do not wash their hands properly after using the restroom!
So you might be questioning what does a proper hand wash imply
The U.S. Centre for disease control and prevention suggests you wash your hands with soap and water for at least 15 seconds.
quick-win healthy habit approach for kids
Teach your kids a proper handwash technique by:
- doing it with them
- using soap
- singing a song that lasts for 15 to 20 seconds, while you wash – by doing this they know exactly when to stop
Remember to conserve water, by keeping the tap closed, until they are ready to rinse their hands.
Smart mom tip
Save yourself some cleaning time by teaching kids to open the tap using their elbows, rather than soaped hands and use an automatic soap dispenser. Brilliant!
We use this one, and it works great for little hands …
Healthy habits for kids number 2: Healthy eating
We all know the importance of including fruit and veg in our kids’ diet, right? But did you know you can super boost the effect of adding fresh food by simply swopping healthy foods with superfoods?
Yes, give your child the maximum benefit of superfoods at times of high demand. By knowing when to add which superfood you can boost their:
- brain power
- memory
- focus
- physical skills
- skin health
- immunity and more
And remember there are different superfoods for different ages. Here are some great resources to help you with that:
- baby and toddler
- toddlers to teens – this is one of my favorite superfoods resources when you want easy tips and recipes
What are good eating habits?
The best good eating habit tip is clean eating. That’s it! In other words
- a lot of fresh food, including superfoods
- no processed food and
- don’t forget the water.
You don’t have to overcomplicate it. It can truly be as easy as that!
To help you out:
- the best brain foods for kids here with a free printables to easily add superfoods daily
- and a free course and step-by-step guide on how to live healthy as a family
how do I teach my child healthy eating habits
leading by example …
When you have lots of fresh foods available in the house and offer healthy snacks when the kids are hungry, they will quickly learn the habit of healthy eating.
On the flip side though, when there is a lot of processed foods available, they will inevitably prefer those. So think twice before stocking up on all the crisps and sweets.
By doing this you will be helping yourself in the process too …
We can’t expect our kids to prefer healthy foods when we don’t.
how do you explain healthy eating to a child
The best way to teach kids about clean eating is to get them involved.
Allow them to
- prepare food
- grow vegetables
- choose their favorite colored fruits
- create colorful plates
And, again, be a role model!
quick-win healthy habit approach for kids
Find easy healthy kids recipes and prepare them together. Here are some great options:
And, when they love cooking as much as my kids do, maybe consider spoiling them with this.
Healthy habits for kids number 3: No hands in your face
Stop picking your nose! Get your hands out of your mouth! Sounds familiar?
If I have a penny for every time I need to tell my kids that, I would be super rich! You?
Before reprimanding them though, always consider the fact that there might be a reason for them picking their noses or eating their fingers. Consider things like:
- teething
- blocked nose
- infection causing itchiness
And treat those first. Then, teach them all about germs and how their continuous nose and face touching spreads them all over, causing infection.
Want to know my stuffy nose secret?
Check this out, you’ll love it!
quick-win healthy habit approach for kids
Teach kids all they need to know about germs with fun books
Healthy habits for kids number 4: Being positive
Being positive is another habit where kids need to be lead by example. You can not possibly expect your kids to be happy and positive when you are always tired, stressed and irritated.
So start with yourself:
- make time for yourself
- invest in yourself and your parenting skills
- practice de-stress exercises
- discover 11 ridiculously easy and 11 more must know healthy habits for moms
And then only are you ready to teach your kids the be-positive habit.
quick-win healthy habit approaches for kids
Play games to help kids express their emotions.
Do super kids activities to master their moods.
Teach kids the benefit of relaxing yoga and meditation
- we do good night yoga every night to relax the little minds
- and the yoga spinner game is one of our favorites
- use a cute kids yoga mat – my kids adore these!
- have a look at this great yoga infographic for inspiration.
Healthy habits for kids number 5: Staying active
The benefits of being active are numerous, and the most important ones include:
- strengthening the heart
- improving lung capacity and
- supporting the immune system to better fight off infection
Top tip
Of course, these benefits extend to both us and our children, so be sure to join in the fun and get moving with them.
quick-win healthy habit approach for kids
- Stretch the muscles by imitating animals.
- be as tall as a giraffe
- small as a mouse
- mimic a hippo or
- a crocodile or
- roar like a lion
these are actions kids adore!
- Have fun outside
- Ride a bicycle
- unicorn skateboard or
- adjustable roller skates
- Enjoy sport and
- be part of a team
- Shake your sillies out
- just get up and move
- few things will lighten the mood as much as this fun activity
- look at these fun dance activities for more inspiration
Healthy habits for kids number 6: Stimulating brain power
Keeping brains and minds active and stimulated is a very important healthy habit for kids. During the growth phases, kids need a lot of stimulation and exposure to various learning skills.
Easy brain-building activities to include in your weekly routine
- do arts and crafts
- read books together
- do coloring
- build puzzles
- play brain games
- learn together with music
Another great way of helping kids learn is to discover their learning styles.
And, then use this knowledge to develop their preferred skills and improve the lesser-used ones. This will improve their overall learning capacity, skills and memory.
Improving learning skills is super easy with these great free resources
All you need to do are these 3 steps:
- download your free Kids Learning Guide
- read the action-packed Learning Styles Post
- do the Learning Activities with your kids
2 other scientifically proven ways of stimulating brain development in kids
- Reading
- Coloring
quick-win healthy habit approach for kids
For 8 more quick-win habits on raising brilliant kids, be sure to read this Healthy Brain tips for kids post. You will love it!
And think twice before spending money on toys, rather invest in educational toys helping your child grow and learn. Click here for the best learning toys at different developmental stages.
Healthy habits for kids number 7: Mastering basic social skills
There are loads of social skills your kids need to learn and master. Because this list is never-ending and this is an ongoing learning process, choose 5 of the most important ones and focus on them first. Your decision should be based on their age and developmental phase.
During the pre-school years these are the 5 basic social skills I focused on to teach my kids:
- ask for help
- be kind
- say sorry
- forgive
- problem solve
You can find a list of 50 more social skills for kids here.
quick-win healthy habit approach for kids
Choose one social skill for the week and do various activities to teach this skill. Think:
- games
- activities
- crafts
Healthy Habits for Kids Reviewed
The 7 top healthy habits for kids include
Let’s summarize
by answering the final question of what are healthy habits for life?
Healthy habits for life are those you teach your child when they are young. And, then persist in perfecting them day by day. We all know we need to ask kids the very same thing 20 times EVERY day, or they don’t do it. Right? Like pick up your towel, or use your fork …
Establishing healthy habits is no different. We need to persist. Kids might refuse to eat fruit as a snack today, and tomorrow and even the day after.
But if you are willing to persist, and you should be, since that is what power parenting is all about … they will soon enough realize you are not going to offer them anything else. And, if they don’t eat the healthy snack they will have to go without any.
If you didn’t persist and offered them biscuits in the end, just so they can stop moaning and eat something … well… not very useful in building new healthy habits is it?
You decide
healthy habits for life after a couple of days of hardship
or,
unhealthy habits forever …
being part of the alarming 95% not washing their hands … And when you want to know everything you need to raise the healthy family you always wanted, join the Healthier Family Challenge. When you join, you will as a family:
- live healthier
- be calmer
- feel happier
Leave a comment
and tell me about the healthy habits you are teaching your children. Do you find it difficult? Or do you have a special trick?
Read more on healthy family living
- The secret to living a healthy lifestyle
- How to Live a Healthy Life Made Simple in 4 Action Steps
- 25 Healthy Lifestyle Tips -Brilliant and Backed by Science
- That one thing all healthy families do
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it’s really interesting.
Hi Faheem, thank you for visiting the blog and taking time to comment. Glad you enjoyed the healthy habits for kids post! Take care