10
Ways to Help Our Children (and ourselves)
10
Ways to Help Our Children (and ourselves)
Simple things that you can do to support your child’s health, well-being and success in school
The good
news is there are a lot of ways to influence and improve your child’s health
and well-being. Over the past school
year, this series of articles have addressed some of them.
Look at the list below and check off what you are already doing in your
home. Is there something else you
could put in place? What seems to be
the most important idea to you now?
o
Go
to bed early enough most nights to get enough sleep.
Sleep deprivation can affect stress levels, weight, energy and alertness.
Here are our average sleep needs: Preschool age - 11-13 hours, School age
- 10-11 hours, Teenage - 9 hours, Adults – 7-8 hours.
Count backwards from when you need to get up to come up with an optimal
bedtime.
o
Take
televisions out of bedrooms and limit TV and
computer games to under 2-hours a day. Television
viewing is passive, can lead to overweight, poor body image and anti-social
behavior. Discuss and choose
suitable programs together.
o
Eat
breakfast every day.
Breakfast revs up the metabolism and feeds the brain for better
performance in school or work.
o
Encourage
good hygiene –
Reinforce good hand washing skills to decrease viral and bacterial infections.
o
Get
enough calcium to
build strong bones now and for the future. The
calcium that you get as a child is like a savings account for later, to help
prevent osteoporosis. The easiest
way to be sure you are getting enough is to consume 3-servings of low-fat dairy
products a day. Drink low-fat milk,
not soda (sugar water – empty calories).
o
Make
sure kids get at least 60 minutes a day of moderate intensity physical activity
(adults need at least 30 minutes). Think
parks, playgrounds, sports, neighborhood play, bikes, hikes, clubs and family
outings.
o
Have
family dinners around a table at home.
Family meal time establishes communication, can demonstrate healthy
eating and serves as an anchor for your family.
o
Eat
plenty of fruits and vegetables,
the more colorful the better. These
foods provide vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals – great immune boosters.
o
Don’t
over-schedule.
Allow for free time, to play, to daydream, or to be alone.
Free time can help decrease stress, increase the imagination and is good
for building friendships.
o
Listen.
Be present. Spend
quality time together. This is more
important than any physical thing you could possibly give.
Pick one
change at a time. Think about
it, talk about it, research it and then make your move.
Be creative, consistent and positive.
Once one change is accomplished and has become a part of your daily life,
review and process how it’s working out, make adjustments and then celebrate.
Do it for your kids – do it for yourself.
Deb Chappell, Extension
Agent, Family and Consumer Sciences,
