This doesn’t just mean getting them to exercise every day. It also means thinking about their bone health, mental health, and social health too!
When your children are happy and healthy from a young age, it sets them up for success in later life. As a parent or guardian, you can instill healthy practices in your children so that they are the healthiest versions of themselves.
Here are some top tips for keeping your kids healthy and active.
Think About Their Posture
The modern-day lifestyle is making our posture much worse. However, you can stop your children from starting unhealthy habits that lead to poor posture. It’s all about teaching them how to properly walk and sit with good form.
When they are walking, make sure they are walking with their heads up and their shoulders back. Not only does this improve posture but it also makes them feel extra confident! (Avoid cell phones and walking! They might walk into a wall!)
When they are sitting at a desk, encourage them to keep their neck in line with their spine and their back against the chair. Their feet should be flat on the floor and their shoulders should be nice and relaxed.
If you catch your children, gently remind them to sit up better. This will reduce stress on the spine.
Encourage Them to Go Outside and Play
Nowadays, many children want to sit inside all day playing games. However, it’s important for your child to go outside and exercise.
Sunlight is essential for your children’s physical and mental health. It stimulates vitamin D synthesis in the skin, which helps to maintain bone health and boosts serotonin production. When serotonin is at normal levels, you feel more focused, emotionally stable, happier and calmer.
When your children are playing together, they will be moving their bodies and improving their physical fitness. They will also be socializing with one another, which is vital to their social development.
Pay Close Attention to Their Backpack
If your children wear a backpack to school, you might not give much thought to it. However, if your children are complaining of back pain, it may be because of the backpacks that they are using.
The wrong kind of backpacks cause back pain or shoulder pain. Try to limit the weight of your children’s backpacks by keeping the contents minimal. The straps should be nice and soft on the shoulders so that they don’t dig in.
Ideally it should be less that 20% of their body weight!
Encourage a Regular Sleep Schedule
Sleep is essential for everybody but it is especially important for children.
- Try sticking to the same bedtime every night and wake up at the same time each morning.
- Aim for your child to achieve around eight hours of sleep each night so that their physical and mental health is optimized.
- Avoiding screens on the phone or tv for an hour before bed can help their brain quite down to help a faster bedtime process!
Follow these tips and you should have no problem keeping your kids healthy and active all summer!
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