With the back-to-school season upon us, many parents and students will be getting ready to start the new year. While many may be focusing on purchasing school supplies and new outfits, have you stopped and considered learning new healthy eating habits to start the school year off right?
Going back to school can be stressful and affect kids’ physical and mental health, so in this article we will be focusing on how you can create healthy habits for your children as they head back to school.
How to Teach Kids About Nutrition
What Is a Healthy Habit For Kids?
How to Make Healthy Habits Fun For Kids
How to Teach Kids About Nutrition
Healthy eating starts at home. Your children look to you as the authority-figure and seek guidance on how they should behave; therefore, your children (whether you know it or not) will be looking at your eating habits and adopt them. So, it’s important to teach them the importance of eating healthy and establish a meal plan.
For example, you may have been taught that you need to drink six to eight glasses of water each day, but that’s a common myth. However, according to Vancouver Coastal Health be teaching children to explore internal cues of hunger, fullness, and satiety (e.g. what does your tummy say?) as opposed to external cues (e.g. eat half a plate of vegetables and fruit) when deciding how much to eat or drink.
The website further recommends that you teach children how to spot nutrition fads and find good sources for advice. It’s never too early to teach children about essential nutrients their body needs (like vitamins and minerals) and developing healthy eating habits. But that raises the question of…
What Is a Healthy Habit For Kids?
When discussing healthy choices, some may focus on the health benefits of nutrition, but healthy habits exist beyond just eating healthy meals. Learning how to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviours can begin from an early age. If healthy habits like eating well and getting enough physical exercise and sleep are established early, it is easier to make them a part of a routine.
According to Jump Rope for Heart, there are few things to consider when beginning to establish a healthy habit. For example:
Prioritize Healthy Eating
It’s easy to fall into the trap of, “I don’t have time, so I’ll just grab some take-out” trap. But proper nutrition is important for the healthy development of children. Poor eating habits can lead to health problems like weight gain and emotional health concerns, according to Health Canada. Here’s how you can help:
- Check out Canada’s Food Guide which shows the portion size your child needs each day from each of the four food groups.
- Never skip breakfast! Children need a nutritious breakfast to stay focused and alert.
- Pack a nutritious, well-balanced lunch and healthy snacks to power your little ones throughout the day and avoid unhealthy food
- Remind your kids to stay hydrated and skip beverages with added sugar like pop and juice/sports drinks.
Get Moving
The more kids move their bodies, the more their hearts pump to power up their brains and muscles with blood and oxygen.
According to Health Canada, childhood obesity rates among children and teens have nearly tripled in the last 30 years! This puts kids at risk for both physical (type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, bone and joint problems, etc.) and mental (depression, being teased, low self-esteem) problems. Children and teens aged five to 17 should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day.
Here are some tips to get them (and you!) moving:
- Participate in family exercise time like going for walks, hiking or biking.
- Promote vigorous activities like soccer, gymnastics, skiing, basketball, swimming, or martial arts.
- Encourage your child to use recess to play sports and keep active.
- Have fun – play hopscotch, go bowling, jump rope or create an obstacle course in the backyard.
Limiting Screentime to Less Than Two Hours
Minimizing a child’s recreational screen time to less than two hours a day can help them create a healthy relationship with technology. It teaches them to put their heart and brain health first by getting physically active outside of screen time.
Encouraging Children to Drink More Water, and Less Sugary Drinks
Half of our bodies (including the heart and brain) is made of water, so kids need to make sure they drink enough to fuel it.
How to Make Healthy Habits Fun For Kids
When trying to develop healthy habits for children, rather than having them read nutrition labels (or even this article) try to make it fun for kids to adopt best practices. For example, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation:
- Schedule family outings that are active, such as hiking a provincial park trail or swimming at the local community centre pool.
- Get your kids cooking – they usually like to eat what they have fun making.
- Encourage free outdoor play (A pick-up game of baseball? Tobogganing?) while limiting their screen time in front of computers, video games and TV.
- Help children get pleasure out of being active by encouraging them to choose activities they love – is it dancing, basketball, hockey, soccer, swimming, rollerblading, biking, or jumping rope?
And that’s just to start, talk to your kids about activities they would love to do with you.
How to Keep Your Kids Healthy
The Good Hands Advice team has put together their list of the ways in which you can keep your kids healthy as the school season begins.
Return to Routines
This one’s tough, but you’ll be happy you did it to avoid overtired and grumpy kids the first week back. At least a week before school starts, have your kids return to a normal bedtime. Also, encourage reading and even some free learning activities you can find online. This can help mentally prepare them for getting back into school work.
Get Enough Sleep
It’s a fact — kids today aren’t getting enough sleep, according to ParticipACTION and the Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth. This can lead to hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and a short attention span. So, follow these recommended guidelines for children and teens:
- 5 to 13 years – 9 to 11 hours of sleep per night
- 14 to 17 years – 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night
And don’t forget to remove screens and media devices (computers, TVs, and cellphones) from bedrooms.
Schedule a Physical With Your Family Doctor
Before heading back to school, make sure your child has their annual physical to ensure they’re healthy. Don’t forget to make sure they’re up-to-date with their vaccinations and have their eyes examined. Also, inform teachers and administrative staff about any allergies or medical conditions that may need to be managed during the day.
Keep it Clean
Back-to-school means back to germs (and the spread of them). To help your kids avoid getting sick, remind them about basic hygiene like proper hand washing with soap and water and the use of hand sanitizer. This is important to help prevent the spread of germs. Also remind kids to cough or sneeze into the inside part of their arm (opposite their elbow). And if your child is ill, keep them at home.
Try to Limit Stress
The start of a new grade and an increased workload can be stressful, not to mention the anxiety of navigating social circles at school. So, make sure you talk to your kids regularly to see how they’re coping, if anything’s troubling them, if they’re being bullied, and if they have healthy friendships. It’s also a good idea to go with the “less is more” attitude when thinking of ways to fill their after-school schedules. Over-programming after-school activities can make it difficult to find time to balance homework and downtime. Children need to be ‘kids’ and play, unwind, and spend time with friends and family.
Create a Healthy Homework Environment
If possible, make sure your child has a quiet work place at home to do homework, preferably a desk of their own. Make sure they don’t use electronic devices or watch TV while doing homework — you want them to stay focused! Encourage them to take breaks and stretch to avoid fatigue. Use agendas or planners to jot down test dates, activities and when assignments are due.
Have the Right Active-Wear
Think of the amount of time your kids spend in their shoes — walking, playing at recess, and running around during gym class. Make sure they have shoes that fit properly and are comfortable. In terms of running shoes, avoid soles that are too hard and stiff, and make sure the shoe flexes in the toe area.
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