Three words parents never want to hear from their children's mouths, “I don’t feel good.” As a parent, you want your kids to grow up to be healthy, strong, and independent, and are hard-wired to protect them. Navigating through all the healthy habits children’s books or varying expert opinions, it can be extremely confusing knowing how to raise a healthy child. But if you don’t proactively teach your children positive habits, it could impact their future. To help you decide which approach is best for your child, we’ve compiled the top 10 healthy habits for children’s wellness!

Set A Healthy Example
Healthy habits for families start at home. Doing your best to model healthy behavior and create a home environment with routines that promote physical and mental wellness lays the groundwork not only for a healthier child, but a healthier adult. What you do and how you behave does shape your child’s behavior. You can teach them well by being healthier yourself! Setting a positive example can be challenging when you are tired after working all day, and the drive-thru and television are calling your name. But engaging in healthy habits as often as possible attitude can impact your children significantly. For instance, when you come home from work, throw on workout clothes and go for a jog or do some yoga to help you decompress from a long day, they are watching and will see exercise as normal and healthy. And when you prepare healthy meals and engage in hobbies or activities that enrich your mind, they notice this, too!

Healthy Habits for Children’s Development
Here are ten ways to help establish healthy habits and routines that nurture and empower children to participate in their total wellness.

1. Create a healthy relationship with food. This begins by providing nutritious foods, including fruits, veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean proteins. Make breakfast a priority to help set the pace for their day and incorporate healthy snacks to keep their energy levels steady.

Teach them that taking a snack break is important to rest and recharge their “batteries.” Do your best to keep some healthy snack ideas on hand to grab and go at a moment’s notice:

1. Cut-up fruits and veggies
2. String cheese and low-sugar yogurt
3. Almonds and nut butters
4. Whole grain crackers or pita chips

Teach your kids age-appropriate ways to prepare easy snacks and meals – an essential life skill. Have little ones set the table or toss the salad, and as they develop fine motor skills, teach them safe ways to cut up fruits and veggies, etc. As they get older, teach them that while food can be enjoyable, its main purpose is to fuel and nourish our brains and bodies and that whole, fiber-rich foods are essential for regularity. Remind them to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, and to limit soda, juice, sports, or energy drinks as much as possible.

You can explain why eating well combined with exercise helps keep their bones, muscles, and hearts strong and healthy. They might not be able to understand how nutritious foods and exercise connect to better mental wellness yet, but they'll appreciate how powerful they are for self-esteem, moods, and clearer thinking as they get older. Advise pre-teens and teens that what they put in their bodies can either help prevent or trigger breakouts and inflammation. Eating healthy has a big impact on skin health, making it vital since self-esteem is closely tied to healthy skin. Check out our blog about What Foods to Eat and Avoid With Acne for more information.

2. Teach daily hygiene habits: Getting your kids to brush their teeth twice daily, take baths, and wash their hands and faces is essential for physical wellness and health. For those who resist practicing cleanliness, making it fun can ease the way for everyone involved.

• Entice your child with a cute toothbrush featuring their favorite animal or cartoon figure paired with a fun nighttime song or flavored toothpaste to help them “Brusha, brusha, brusha…” happily!

• For kids that are more adverse to these habits, you can try brushing and washing faces together so as not to make it a chore. Give them their own colorful headband and family-friendly gentle face cleanser, and educate them on how important it is to care for their skin to help prevent skincare issues. In the morning, show them how to apply sunscreen and post positive affirmations and reminders on their mirror with sticky notes to reapply.

• Show your kids how to wash their hands with soap and water, washing the fronts and backs of their hands, in between fingers, and beneath nails for 20 seconds, rinsing and drying well. Remind them it is important to do so after going to the bathroom, playing with animals, doing household chores, and before eating. If they need motivation, have them sing a fun song like “Happy Birthday” twice when they wash. There are videos online for inspiration, like the Wiggles’ hand-washing song, Tops and Bottoms to the tune of Frere Jacques, or Wash, Wash, Wash Your Hands a la “Row Your Boat.” (We apologize in advance for these catchy tunes you may not be able to get out of your head.)

• Throw a family spa party for some hygienic fun. You can paint each other’s faces with clean skincare face masks for DIY facials and do at-home pedicures with a soothing foot soak for children over three. This will establish a solid foundation for self-care, as well!

3. Be consistent: Do your best to keep chores, mealtimes, and bedtimes on a regular schedule. With consistency, everyone knows what is expected of them, helping minimize stress and push back for much smoother sailing!

Establishing mealtimes at regular intervals helps eliminate endless snacking while non-negotiable bedtimes ensure they will get enough sleep. It strengthens brain connections, builds confidence and self-sufficiency, and helps prevent behavior issues. Once dinner is over, the kitchen is cleaned up, and you are all “in for the night,” make getting ready for bed a family affair as part of a sleep hygiene, wind-down routine.

Does your child resist bedtime? Help pave the way to dreamland by drawing a calming,sulfate free bubble bath. And, for those over three, dab on a drop of our relaxing face oil and have them inhale the soothing aroma. Take this time to read to younger children or have quiet reading time for older kids nightly to help stimulate mental development and quality rest for all!

4. Encourage play in multiple ways: Have them play outside with other kids as an alternative to playing video games solo. While movie night can be a fun way to unwind, playing board games, tag, or good old hide and seek is much more interactive. Exploring new hobbies together as a family shows them that learning new things, having fun, and connecting with others is important. You can also use fun activities to reward good behavior with outings like the batting cages, miniature golf, hiking, etc.

5. Teach them the importance of exercise: Walk, run, or bike with your kids daily to firmly establish this healthy habit. Encourage them to try different sports, dance, martial arts, or any other form of movement that appeals to them because it helps keep their bodies healthy, strengthens muscles and bones, helps with mood, stress, and anxiety, and improves heart and lung health, minimizing the chances of developing diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

6. Nurture optimal mental health and wellness: Encouraging your children to maintain a positive attitude can pertain to every area of their lives.

Instead of rigidly navigating life, adapting to curveballs and bending the rules now and then teaches your children to be flexible and spontaneous, essentials for enjoying life and weathering the unexpected. Acknowledge progress, provide positive reinforcement, and forgive mistakes, allowing them and yourself not to be 100% perfect. This will show them an important life lesson of acceptance towards their natural humanness.

7. Get outside: Being in nature promotes relaxation, reduces stress, and improves sleep, breathing, and well-being. It also normalizes heart rates, helping circumvent heart disease and other stress-induced conditions. Bring their attention to their natural surroundings and help inspire their sense of awe and wonder regarding flora and fauna. This is an excellent opportunity to, one more time, teach them to practice healthy sun protection!

8. Communicate: Talk to your kids often and invite them to share their feelings. Ask questions and listen to their answers. Enforce screen time limits and cultivate healthy human-to-human interaction.

9. Foster connection and community: Help kids under five develop healthy brains by encouraging them to be imaginative, try new things, explore, and be a kid. Putting phones or tablets down and taking time to genuinely connect and interact with kids of all ages, providing a healthy home, and nurturing community is paramount to shape your children well. Together, these habits help them build healthy life skills and reach their full potential.

10. Schedule family time: Doing healthy things together as a family and making them fun is a great way to show your children that taking healthful actions doesn’t have to be a bore or a chore! Whether it is getting outdoors and gardening, playing games, taking a bike ride, or having a family getaway can help ward off anxiety and depression, facilitating mental wellness.

Remember you set the pace and tone for your littles, putting these ten pillars of health into action at home!