We all agree that it is easier to pick up good habits as a child and as adults it is extremely difficult to change our ways and develop a new good habit.
Take a look at some of these healthy habits that we could teach our kids and make part of their daily routines. With a little guidance and effort from us, they can do it simply and quickly.
1. Bedtime Routine:
Encourage them to sleep early latest by 9:45-10:00 pm. Minimum of 8 hours is absolutely necessary for all children. Wake-up by 6 am. This is an important part of the routine as every other thing will depend on this only.
2. Playing Outdoors:
Playing is just as important as work. A child must spend at least 1-2 hours daily on physical activities i.e. outdoor games. Physical activity outdoors means get lot of Sunshine, make friends and a lot of activity which involves physical labour.
NOTE- As parents our responsibility is to see that children do not spend more than 1 hour watching TV, playing on mobiles, Xbox, ipads, etc. These makes them lethargic and lead to poor eyesight.
3. Obeying Safety Rules:
Some rules are important for keeping people safe and happy. If we follow rules, we often don’t get hurt and people treat each other with kindness and respect everywhere. The safety habits that children must follow are they must learn to walk on streets carefully, cross only at the zebra crossing, do not disturb the driver, not meddle with hazardous things like gas stoves, firecrackers, heating rods, etc.
4. Be Aware Of Stranger Danger:
Children at the age of 3-4 work purely on impulse. They are not old enough to differentiate between good and bad people. They make friends easily and trust easily as well. It might be tough to teach them the concept of a stranger, but it is important to ask them to stay close to you. Also, kids at this age must be taught what is a good touch and bad touch and how to say no if they are uncomfortable.
Kids find the concept of a stranger very confusing, so we should tell them about the other adults ( trusted parent, teacher, or school administrator) other than Grandparents, Uncle and Aunt.
5. Drink Plenty Of Water:
Water helps our body in number of ways. It carries nutrients to cells and helps to remove waste products from our body. As children play throughout the day, we must remember that water helps them to control the body temperature. Without the right amount of water, a child could easily get dehydrated. Hydration in children is particularly important as their water requirement in relation to their body weight is much higher than that of an adult.
6. Eat Right, Eat Healthy:
Proper nutrition comes from good eating habits. It is very important in today's scenario of junk food.
They need to be encouraged to eat more fresh foods like fruits, vegetables and must avoid fatty and sugary snacks. A low-fat curd should be a part of their meals. Avoid giving chocolaty treats when they achieve something. Instead switch to tasty and healthy alternatives like dry fruits, nuts, and home-made snacks. Such food items will provide the child enough energy to survive the day and focus on the important things.
7. The Most Important Meal Of The Day:
Breakfast- This is the most important meal of the day that gives us maximum energy. As a parent, we must ensure that our kids have enough time to enjoy a healthy and tasty breakfast before school. Children often skip breakfast and rush to school. So they feel weak all day long and find it tough to cope with the physical and mental intensive activities.
8. Stay Hygienic:
As young kids, they tend to play for long hours. As a result, their clothes dirt, sweat, and other stains also. Bacteria starts to work on these stains, leaves the clothes smelly & can also spread some disease or infection to the child. We must ensure that a child takes bath at least once a day in lukewarm water and wears washed clothes. The child must change clothes post-school, post-play and before bed also to avoid infections and diseases . Remember we have sweat glands in our head too. So to have a clean scalp, their hair must be washed at least twice a week.
9. General Awareness of outside world:
In this growing age it is not enough to just learn the alphabets and numbers. There is a lot happening in the world too and a child should start learning about these too. General awareness is of utmost importance and reading the newspaper is an important habit. Not only does this broaden their knowledge but also enhances their language skills. Also, encourage them to read books.
10. Household Chores:
They are never too young to help around the house. You can get them to do very small chores like keeping their room clean, arranging the magazine shelf, packing their toys, laying the dining table and many other small-small things. This makes them feel older and much more important. Also, it teaches them to be more independent. In this way they will also be respectful towards those who help and clean at home, in a school or anywhere else.
11. Public Behaviour:
Inconveniencing people in public transport, not speaking to waiters or shopkeepers in a respectful manner, picking up things that do not belong to you, ruining public buildings and monuments are some common things that children could end up doing if they are not trained properly.
They must learn to behave in public, but most importantly they should learn the repercussions of their bad habits. Explain the consequences and the need for them to behave well in public.
12. Teach Sharing:
Sharing tendency develops good character. At the dinner table, set an example and share your favourite dish with the others. Encourage the child to start too.
In a classroom, teachers set up group activities that are based on sharing. Tells them that grabbing is not good, and teach alternatives such as helping them choose another object or material while they wait for their turn.
Good habits can lead to a healthy and happy life. Just remember, the child is never too young to learn. And as a parent or instructor, it is our duty to inculcate good behaviour in them. Positive reinforcement always helps while teaching children good habits.
