How Parents Can Encourage Self-Care In Their Children
Our guest blog has been written by the lovely Anya Willis over at Fit Kids. Anya focuses on the importance of your children's wellbeing alongside your own.
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As parents, we only want the best for our children as they grow and experience life. A structured childhood is so important because a healthy lifestyle, diet, and attitude can help them to grow into happy, strong, and well-adjusted adults. But how do you prioritise self-care in children and be a good role model as they age? At Fit Kids we are all about wellness, so we have some great tips to get your kids started off on the right foot in the healthiest way possible. Let’s look at some good first steps.
Be A Good Role Model
In order for your kids to be successful, it is essential to be a good and positive role model. As their parents, you need to practice what you preach with all of the tips below but also keeping your cool and creating a stress-free atmosphere, especially when working from home. While work is important, remember to also not forget about the kids. Take breaks and spend time outside or join them in their hobbies. It is essential that you prove how important family time is, even if it gets crazy with all of you under the same roof.
Provide Healthy Meals
Encourage Creativity
Mental health is also important as children age and their brains develop. They must live without stress and experience everything life has to offer with fresh eyes. Part of creating a healthy mind is doing plenty of creative exercises. Have them try anything that interests them, from painting to dance, and they may find a new talent and feel better about their lives overall.
Exercise Is Key
Staying active is important for kids so they can grow properly, and when they are active, they will feel better overall. They can get the fitness they need by playing sports, playing at the park or just hanging out in the backyard. When they get moderate exercise during the week, they not only increase their strength and endurance, but they also feel better mentally and emotionally.
Help Them Look Inward
In addition to sports, you could teach your children about more meaningful exercises like yoga or practicing meditation which can help them to relieve stress while also getting more in touch with their inner selves.
While you are doing all this, it is also important to spend some time talking about emotions. Take time on a regular basis to ask them how they are feeling, and if they are having anxiety or fear, talk about it. If necessary, you may want to consider bringing your youngster to a professional therapist so they don’t get lost emotionally.
Breathing Exercises
There is no doubt that your children will face new and potentially stressful situations as they grow up and that is just part of life, but how they approach these problems will be paramount to their development. Breathing exercises can do wonders in this regard. Parents can go over specific exercises that their kids can use when needed. A popular breathing exercise is inhaling as you slowly count to 4 and then exhale for the same duration.
Sleep
Finally, it is imperative that your kids get enough sleep every night. Doctors recommend that children get at least eight hours of sleep every night, and by doing so, they have a better chance of avoiding common issues such as ADHD, problems with their immune system, and obesity. The best tip to helping your kids get restful sleep is to provide a bedtime routine and have them go to sleep at the same time every night. It’s also ideal if your child keeps a fairly clean room since clutter and mess can contribute to difficult sleep. Help your child straighten and organise their room, and see about removing anything that contributes to negativity or hampers sleep.
As you can see, there are many ways to help your child improve their self-care approach. By offering them plenty of support and encouragement, you pave the way for them to thrive.
For more on nurturing your child with a love of fitness, check out Anya over at Fit Kids.
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