The Best Ways To Fuel Your Kid’s Day
Children should feel ready to take on any challenge that’s thrown their way. As parents, it’s your responsibility to make sure your kids feel prepared to embrace the day. This is a multi-step process that you can quickly build into a family routine. You’ll soon find that these tips benefit people of all ages.
Here are six ways to get started.
1. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Sleep is a vital part of child development. By keeping a regular sleeping schedule, you ensure that your child wakes up well-rested each morning. Kids that are 6-12 years old require 9-12 hours of sleep while teenagers need about 8-10 hours. Receiving adequate sleep leads to improved attention, behavior and learning. It also influences memory and overall physical and mental health.
Without enough sleep, your child may be moody and exhausted. A lack of consistent sleep can lead to weight gain, depression and a decline in physical health. To combat sleep deprivation, limit your family’s caffeine consumption in the afternoon. Encourage quiet time in the evenings and turn off the television at least one hour before their scheduled bedtime. If your children follow a nighttime routine, their circadian rhythm will have an opportunity to regulate. This will allow them to fall asleep faster and wake up easier each day.
2. Eat Nutritious Meals
Kids are an active bunch, which means they need food to fuel their energy. Whether they’re going to school, a friend’s house or soccer practice, those little feet are moving! One of the best ways to start the day is with a healthy breakfast. Start with whole foods and aim for balance and variety with each meal.
Processed prepackaged foods are often high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats. In comparison, foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins offer the complex nutrients needed to fuel a growing body. The human body is like an engine — requiring a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and fats to run well. It uses these sources to boost endurance while building and repairing the body. Child athletes rely heavily on their bodies, making a healthy diet even more vital.
3. Practice Mindfulness
While a healthy, replenished body is essential for child development, it’s also important to encourage mental growth. There are many interpretations of mindfulness, but most people will agree that it’s a state of focus. More specifically, it means you focus on being present with your emotions and the environment around you. Some prefer to call it a form of meditation, but the truth is that the ability exists inside everyone — it’s merely a matter of accessing and embracing it.
Mindfulness and meditation are effective methods of reducing stress, anxiety and depression. Also, professionals have recommended mindfulness as a treatment for ADHD and autism spectrum disorders. Practicing it can help to improve attention and sleep quality in children. As a result, they experience enhanced performance in their personal and academic lives. As a parent, encourage your kids to sit quietly for a few minutes each day and pay attention to how they feel.
4. Foster Gratitude
Have you heard of having an attitude of gratitude? Expressing thankfulness and appreciation can improve a person’s mood and make them more optimistic. Since the creation of social media, it’s easier than ever for kids to compare themselves — and their lives — to other people. By spending their brainpower making these comparisons, they cut themselves off from positive thinking. This can affect social development and physical health.
To change this mindset, create a family routine of expressing gratitude each day. You can ask your kids to keep a journal or to express their thoughts at the breakfast table. By focusing on what’s good in their lives, children become more caring and appreciative. Consequently, that encourages them to work harder and make the most of the opportunities presented.
5. Encourage Regular Exercise
Regular exercise is a crucial part of keeping the body and mind healthy. It helps children build strong bones and muscles and promotes the development of a powerful respiratory system. It fuels the body by increasing endurance, which allows kids to play for extended periods.
Physical activity can help decrease symptoms of stress and depression. As a result, children may feel more relaxed and at ease after a workout. While your kids may have gym class in school, they should still find time to run around once they’re back home.
6. Limit Screen Time
Did you know that boredom is beneficial to kids? It encourages them to act creatively rather than relying on outside forces for entertainment. As you might have noticed after a long Netflix binge, too much screen time is draining. By limiting your child’s screen time, you’re fueling their imagination and innovative spirit.
Doctors recommend no more than one hour a day for children ages 2-5. While there’s no set guideline on how much screen time teenagers should have, experts recommend that parents set limits on a child-by-child basis.
Feed the Future
Fuel those little bodies and minds with these six tips! These simple changes will have a drastic impact on your child’s success. Some effects you may notice right away, while others may take some time to show. Ultimately, you will be giving them the nutrition and mental stimulation they need to conquer each and every day. In essence, you are feeding the future of the world.