Start 'Em Young: 3 Tips to Getting Kids Excited About Health
With all the money that goes into commercials and food marketing for children, parents may find it difficult to convince their children of the importance of healthy eating.
Therefore, getting your children started on the benefits of healthy eating at an early age can be one of the most important factors in their development of a healthy life style.
I would like to suggest some practical and fun ways that can help children understand the benefits of healthy living patterns.
1. Grow Your Own Fruits and Veggies
Children like to feel involved in adult activities so why not make growing some of your own food a family project. Adding a garden plot to your back yard or signing up for a community garden is one fun way you can spend time together as a family. At the same time your kids will develop the skills of urban gardening.
When children get to pick the vegetables that they’ve grown they will be more excited to eat the food and interested in learning why they are so good for them. You can also invite your kid’s friends to help with the process of tending the garden and making it a fun group activity. This is also a great way to get your kids off the couch and involved in getting some much needed exercise.
2. Kids Grocery Lists
The grocery store is often an extremely boring experience for children. Their attention span is limited so it isn’t long before they are running around the store or whining and complaining about how bored they are. Driving mom crazy.
One simple suggestion, before going to the grocery store, sit down with your kids and encourage them to compile a mini grocery list of their own to take with them. By inviting them to contribute in this way you give them a sense importance. With their very own check list of items in hand they wont have time to run around the store or fight with their siblings. When you make grocery shopping a positive experience from a young age your children are more likely to continue these patterns with their own kids in the future.
3. Prep Food As A Family
Involving your children in the actual preparation of a meal is another important way to help them develop a commitment to healthy living. Cooking together not only teaches your children how to prepare and cook nutritious meals, it is also a great way to spend quality time together. It’s amazing how many meaningful conversations take place around this very basic activity. You will be surprised at how your kids open up and share with you the most intimate concerns and details of their lives. There is no better way to bond with your kids.
Funbites is a company that specializes in providing molds to help create funky shaped food, which are appealing to children. It also gives them a head start on this necessary life skill. While their friends are off to collage with Costco sized boxes of Kraft Dinner you’ll have a mini master chef in the making.
Setting up these routines from a young age will establish habits, which will go with them into adulthood. In doing so you provide your children with a gift that they will cherish for a lifetime.
