A new year is a classic time to ruminate on and determine personal goals. It provides a fantastic opportunity for parents to talk not only about the merits of exercise and good nutrition, but also to introduce children to the concept of goal-setting. But support of the family is paramount for success when leading a healthier lifestyle. When you encourage children to sit down as a family to plan and discuss goals for the upcoming year, it prompts them to get in the process of and motivated about establishing healthy habits for life.
4 New Year Tips For Kids To Grow Healthy
Make healthy resolutions fun
Because New Year’s resolutions should be fun for the whole family. Introduce Resolutions as a way for children to challenge themselves, with a focus on doing fun things that are not daunting.
If increasing physical activity is a goal, a fun focus might be an activity your child already enjoys. This might be urging them to try out a new position in soccer or choose a skill they want to work on in dance class. You could also experiment with new forms of physical activity, such as online dance or yoga videos or play a game of volleyball or pickleball with friends.
If you want your family to eat healthier get everyone involved from grocery shopping to preparing a meal. Look for new vegetable recipes or use vegetable recipes you know your family loves. Let kids pick new veggie to sample at the grocery store each week and challenge older kids to search out new recipes and to help make new dishes, once in the kitchen.
With children, seek input on how to achieve goals
Encourage children to think about what goals they would like to pursue and assist them in breaking down a big goal into manageable, short-term goals. So for example, the long-term goal of eating more fruits and vegetables can lead to short-term goals of challenging your children to eat fruits or vegetables for their afternoon snack. You can support your children by stocking your refrigerator with healthy choices. Wash and cut up produce when you arrive home from the supermarket so it’s easy to get to.
Set your pantry up for success
Having junk food in the pantry is one way to ensure your New Year’s resolution to eat healthier gets broken. It sounds simple, but don’t have tempting foods lying around the house.
And if you and your family want ice cream, go out for it rather than store it in the freezer as a source of repeated temptation. Purchase fruits and vegetables to snack on.
Small steps like these can help your whole family get involved and prepare you for a successful new year. Oh and parents influence their children’s health so healthy habits are essential for healthy changes you and your family can make in the new year.
Make mental health a priority
Maintaining good mental health is a key element in developing good overall health. Families can incorporate mental health into their New Year’s resolutions by:
- Making the time to remind each other what you are grateful for as a family each day.
- Encouraging your child to recognize their strengths as well as areas where they want to improve their skills.
- Talking more honestly about things like screen time and social media and how it might be impacting your child’s mental health.
- Modeling healthy habits as a parent, such as going for a walk or calling a friend when feeling overwhelmed.
