Teaching Your Children Healthy Eating Habits: All About Fun
| 14 Jul 2017
As parents, we want to teach our children a variety of things that will make things better for them in the future. Things that will keep him out of trouble, healthy and happy. One of those things is making sure our children learn healthy eating habits at a young age. This way we can get them on the right track, hoping that they keep with these practices.
Breakfast, as we all already know, is the most important meal of the day. Make sure that you are eating lunch if you skip this vital meal your child notices. I know that parents would never dream of not giving their children breakfast, but remember they are noticing what you are doing. You are their guide to the world.
Do not scarf down your food. Make sure they know it is not a race to see who can eat the fastest. Be sure to be ready to enforce this rule. No matter how bad they want to go back outside to play with their friends, as, this can cause many problems. Let them know they will end up with a tummy ache and have to come back in anyway.
An essential healthy eating habit to teach your kid is eating regular meals. Sit down and have dinner with your child. Make this a fun and pleasurable experience. Involve him, include him in the lunch making process. Let him choose between mashed potatoes or mac and cheese. Have him help pull out the ketchup or butter. This way he feels like he is helping. If you have an older child, you can even let them cook something easy. This means it helps you out and makes them feel like they are contributing.
Make dinner time “ Family Share Time.” Find out how everyone’s day went. You can always take turns and go around the table, this way you make sure everyone shares. Do not have the TV going on in the background; you can always set the DVR to record that game Daddy is missing. This way your family is the only thing that matters and all distractions are gone. Focus on this family time. It lets your children know you are there for them.
If you have a snack time after school, switch it up. Do not always let him eat a few cookies. Do not let him grab hold of a bag of Doritos every time. Let him have an apple or orange.
Make sure you are a good example yourself. Be a good role model for your children. If you are coming home from work and going straight to the junk food, you can not expect your child not to want to do the same. We have to mold our children into wanting the right things from the start. A great way to enforce this is setting an example.