Kids absorb everything. Teach them something every day and sooner or later, they will learn how to do it, too. They are naturally curious. They are also observant. Unknowingly, they pick up your habits or at least, the people they usually spend time with. If you noticed your kids suddenly cleaning the table after playing with their toys, that’s because they saw you doing that.
So if you want your kids to pick up healthy habits, it has to start with you. They need to see you doing these habits, too, so they will emulate you. Kids look up to their parents, older siblings, and anyone older than them. They think you know better than them. When they see you picking up a morsel of food and putting it in your mouth, then that’s what they are going to do the next time they face a similar situation.
Home Maintenance
Ask anyone and they’ll probably tell you that they learned about home maintenance from their parents. If the kids grew up in a clean and well-organized home, then that’s what they are going to want to aim for when they move into their own house. They will call an exterminator to make sure there are no pests in the house. Aside from that, they’ll make sure to have their homes inspected every year. They want to make sure that their plumbing and electrical systems on top of their games.
Another thing that you should teach your kids when it comes to healthy habits is keeping things organized. Cluttered homes are unproductive. They give a bad impression to the kids.
Healthy Eating
One of the many things that the kids will learn from their elders is healthy eating habits. Many will still remember what they were fed with when they were little. Did they use to love mashed carrots mixed in with their mac and cheese? Healthy eating starts at the dinner table. If the kids get pizzas, burgers, and processed foods on the table every night, they’ll think it’s okay to eat these.
Start incorporating vegetables and fruits into their diet as soon as they can chew it. Don’t let them dictate what you are going to serve for dinner. Kids should learn to value the food on the table. If their elders let them get away with demanding for unhealthy food, then they’ll never develop healthy eating habits.
Personal Hygiene
Kids would always have trouble with brushing their teeth regularly if that wasn’t taught to them from the start. They have to grow up knowing how to take care of themselves—from taking a bath to washing their hair to brushing their teeth. When they are old enough to floss their teeth, teach them that, too. Personal hygiene is part of healthy habits.
Do you know that good personal hygiene will even curb the spread of the coronavirus? Aside from wearing a mask, health experts also want people to practice washing their hands either with soap and water or alcohol. This alone can help stop the spread of the virus. What other bacteria and viruses will good personal hygiene help stop?
Physical Activities
The coronavirus pandemic forced families to spend more time together at home. This means you have to find activities for the kids to do, right? Why not let them join your morning exercise? Some physical activities during this time will help the kids lighten up about not being able to go to school and meet with their friends.
This is a great time to teach them the importance of working out regularly, too. They have to learn to take care of their bodies at an early age. If you are doing yoga, that’s a great one to integrate into your kids’ activities.
Time Management
Not many people think time management is a healthy habit, but it is. If you know how to manage your time well, you are going to be more productive at home and work. That’s something that will help kids in the future when they are off to college or work for the first time.
But time management skills are not something you can learn by reading about it. The kids need to see this one being applied in your family life. It takes years of practice before one can develop great time management skills, so start with the kids as early as today.
Healthy habits are all about finding balance in terms of home maintenance, eating, time management, and physical abilities. These good habits will take you places. You’ll have a more well-managed life because you try to strike a balance in everything you do. Start teaching your kids or your younger siblings how to build these habits.
