If you have only recently become a first-time parent or are just looking to improve the health and wellbeing of your loved ones, you may be wondering how to keep your children fit and healthy as they continue to grow older at a seemingly rapid pace. If this sounds like you, continue reading to familiarise yourself with a number of handy tips and tricks to ensure your children are not only fit and healthy now, but retain healthy habits that will last a lifetime.
This is a collaborative post.
Ensure they are eating a balanced breakfast
When it comes to monitoring your children’s diet, it can be easier said than done. But by ensuring they are eating a balanced breakfast, you can, at the very least, be reassured that they are starting their day in the best possible way. If your children tend to skip breakfast or prefer to eat on the go, there are a number of steps you can take to ensure they enjoy eating a balanced breakfast at home on a regular basis. This includes taking their favourite foods into account and factoring them into their meals if and when you can, ensuring fruits or vegetables are hidden or presented attractively, and even allowing sweet treats on the weekend or if they have performed well in school, for example. This may sound like a great deal of time and effort, but it can have a dramatic impact on your children’s attitude towards breakfast and its ability to sharpen their minds and replenish their energy levels throughout the day.
Organise life insurance as soon as possible
If you have only recently become a first-time parent, life insurance may not necessarily top your list of priorities, but it should. If you are looking to protect the health and wellbeing of your children now and well into the future, life insurance is a must. It can protect them from a number of common threats and ensure they are financially taken care of in the event of an accident or emergency that threatens your life or results in your sudden death. During the process of shopping around for the right life insurance policy for you, it may benefit you to research what does life insurance cover as well as how much your monthly premiums are likely to be ahead of time. This can allow you to proceed with confidence and prevent you from being hit with an unexpected bill or invoice or find out that a particular health condition is not covered down the line, for example.
Exercise as a family
If you struggle to find the time to exercise or your children have busy schedules, it can be difficult to prioritise health and fitness as a family. But by scheduling regular workouts as a family, it can not only be achievable but also thoroughly enjoyable. It may be more geared towards adults, but exercise can also trigger a number of healthy, long-lasting habits at a young age. It can, for example, keep their cardiovascular system moving, provide them with an opportunity to socialise, strengthen their heart, bones, and muscles, and even increase concentration in the long run.
This is why it is important to introduce your children to the wide-reaching benefits of exercise at the earliest convenience and ensure it becomes a regular occurrence in their lives as they grow older and, perhaps more importantly, become busier. It is worth remembering, however, that you must choose an activity that is enjoyable and suitable for the fitness levels of each member of your family. This can include swimming, walking, cycling, playing sports, or hiking.
Communicate the importance of sleep
If you are a parent to multiple children, you will be aware of how difficult it can be to communicate the importance of sleep at an early age. But by ensuring this is done at the earliest convenience, you can increase the chances of them growing up with a healthy sleep schedule and reduce the likelihood of them falling victim to a number of common sleep problems including insomnia, night terrors, and general fatigue on a daily basis. The amount of sleep children require differs depending on their age but can range from anywhere between 10 to 16 hours.
If you are looking for ways to keep your children fit and healthy, it may be worth ensuring they are eating a balanced breakfast, organising life insurance as soon as possible, exercising as a family, and communicating the importance of sleep from an early age.
We hope that you like the ideas within this article. We have a few more thoughts on getting outdoors and active with the kids on KiddyCharts, so do check these out. Remember all our scavenger hunts too – always worth checking out for loads of fun with the kids.
Outdoors ideas for kids
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Winter scavenger hunt: And you can colour it in too!
A scavenger hunt perfect for winter.
How to go on a bug hunt
Go on a bug hunt in the garden with the kids.
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Make a magical tracking stick with the kids.
If you want to look beyond our site – here are some more ideas for you:
External ideas for outdoor play
More ideas on getting active and outdoors with the kids, but this time from the wider web and not just on the KiddyCharts site.
Easy Upcycled Catapult {STEM goes green} – Go Science Kids
A bit of up-cycled outdoor catapult fun!
Celebrate Earth Day with Your Kids in Meaningful Ways
Earth Day is a fabulous day to celebrate with the kids outdoors.
Outdoor Play : Gardening
A garden has been on my to do list for many summers. Finally this summer, we got one planted.
Outdoor Play Party - 15 Awesome Online Resources for Outdoor Play
We love all the amazing ideas that folks share here at the Outdoor Play Party. When the girls and I head outside we are always inspired by the ideas we see right here.
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Helen
Helen
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine!Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time.KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10.It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania.Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on.Get in touch TODAY!