Cheryl Maguire
Parents: Encourage Healthy Habits at Home April 22-26 is Every Kid Healthy Week, created to support learning by celebrating
health and wellness achievements at school. Every Kid Healthy events promote healthy eating, nutrition education, physical activity and physical education. But health and wellness starts at home! It’s important to maintain good overall health so children grow and develop appropriately. Here are seven ways to promote healthy habits at home.
1
Create a Bedtime Routine. National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends school-age children and teens sleep 9–10 hours per night. One way to ensure your children are receiving enough sleep is to set bedtime based on when they need to wake up in the morning. Maintaining the same bedtime every night makes it easier to fall asleep and establish a healthy habit. Support the habit by starting the bedtime routine half an hour before the expected sleep time. Calming activities such as reading, taking a bath, drawing and listening to soothing music help children relax and fall asleep more easily. Receiving the proper amount of sleep promotes appropriate growth and development, improves learning and social interactions, and increases immunity against sickness. Studies show sleep deficiency increases the risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
2
Read Food Labels. Reading and understanding food labels helps children figure out which foods are healthier than others. Food labels indicate number of calories, sugar and fat content, and break down recommended daily intake to help create a balanced diet. It’s not uncommon to think a food is healthy, only to discover it isn’t after reading the label. Find free activities and printable worksheets to help children understand a balanced diet at: www.nourishinteractive.com/ nutrition-education-printables.
24 • SanDiegofamily.com • April 2019
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