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Right Parenting: Healthy Habits to Teach Your Kids at an Early Age

Child's Temperament : Finding the Right Parenting Style to Match it -  Parentcircle

Children could easily absorb whatever information they pick up from their surroundings. They learn things from their parents and the people around them while they are growing up. 

As parents and primary caregivers, you must understand how crucial your lifestyle and choices are. How you act, react, communicate, eat, and treat others will be imbibed by your children as they grow up and eventually become independent.

While your children are in their formative years, take advantage of such time to show them healthy habits to follow. Introducing them early on and not postponing it until they are old enough to understand it is for their good. Accordingly, a child’s mental development is pretty active that they can easily process and pick up on more things than we realize. 

Studies have shown that lifelong habits take roots in children by the age of nine. Once these actions and behaviors have been ingrained in our subconscious, they are challenging to break. Not teaching them healthy habits while they are young could pose more problems when they are adults. 

Check out below nine fundamental healthy habits that should be taught early to your children. These habits will ensure a good and healthy adult life for your kids.

Importance of Healthy Diet

Perhaps the most crucial habit parents should inculcate to their kids is making healthy food choices. With a hectic career and family life to juggle, it is tempting to settle for pizza or fast food hamburger for dinner. 

As a parent, you should strive early to emphasize to your children the importance of a healthy balanced diet. Make it a family habit to make meals together, especially during dinner. Introduce your kids to leafy greens and other vegetables. Encourage them to eat fruits instead of junk for snacks.

Importance of Hygiene

As an old saying goes, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Encouraging your kids to stay hygienic is a priority habit to develop early on since this will come in handy when they reach their teen years. 

Emphasize the basics, such as the importance of taking baths regularly, washing hands before and after meals, and brushing and flossing their teeth twice a day. Have your kids periodically examined by their pediatrician and pediatric dentist as well.

Importance of Exercise and Other Physical Activity

Most children nowadays are constantly stuck on their gadgets with little or no physical activity. Make it a routine in your family to spend time together for a walk, jog, exercise, or yoga. Staying physically active will benefit the entire family in the long run. Furthermore, it increases your bonding time with your kids.

Importance of Savings

Start educating your children on the value of hard-earned money early on. It will teach them the importance of financial responsibility. You can start it by giving them a small allowance and advising them to save it in their piggy banks so that they will have money to buy toys or other stuff they like.

Importance of Good Moral Values

Most parents nowadays only focus on excellent academic performance that they forgot that the bigger picture is more than good grades. As parents, emphasize to your children the importance of having moral values such as honesty, patience, hard work, and treating others courteously. Explain to them how these values will reward them in life. Even better, demonstrate these values. As they say, children do what children see.

Importance of Family

Instill in your children the value of family. Encourage an open and meaningful parent-child and sibling relationship. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other extended family members also play essential roles in a child’s life. 

Build on family traditions and spend as much quality time as you can with your immediate and extended family members. That way, not only do you create memories, you also teach your children the importance of building sustainable and meaningful relationships.

Importance of Reading and Learning

Demonstrate to your kids the pleasure they could get from reading. Not only will it enhance their vocabulary and knowledge, but it will also expand their creativity and imagination. Nurture a daily habit of spending quality time reading together. 

Importance of Tidiness

Create a culture in your home where cleanliness is given importance. You can start by teaching your kids how to organize their toys and make their beds in the morning. Developing tidiness early on in life is extremely important once your kids enter college life and start living with a roommate.

Importance of Time Management

Children need to understand the significance of following schedules and being punctual. Make them know that better time management gives them enough free time not just to relax, but also to engage in other hobbies. More importantly, it teaches them a lesson that you might miss a lifetime opportunity if you mismanage your time.

 

The bottom line is, as a parent, you stand as a role model for your children. Apart from telling them these healthy habits, practice it with them in a fun and positive way. 

 

Meta title: Which Habits Should You Teach Your Children Early On?

Meta description: As parents and primary caregivers, it is necessary to teach your kids healthy habits while they’re still young. Find out more about these practices.