Involving the entire family
Being healthy should include everyone in your family. You can and should all work on being healthy together. Here are a few suggestions on how to make being healthy a family project.
Show your kids healthy behaviors yourself
As young children learn what food they like and dislike, they look to family members for support. If you don’t eat fruits or vegetables, it’s likely your child won’t. You can teach children that they don’t have to like everything, but they do need to try everything.
Go shopping together
Grocery shopping can be overwhelming with children, but with some clear rules, it can be fun. Visit the fruit and vegetable aisle together. Ask your child to choose a new food to try. It can be as simple as choosing an apple or a pear instead of a less healthy item.
Cook together
Young children can help in the kitchen. Give them simple tasks, such as stirring or adding items to a pot. Let older children prepare an entire part of the meal themselves. Children need to learn early on in order to stay a healthy eater as they get older.
Eat together
Eating together helps you to see what your children like and dislike. It also gives you the chance to show your children healthy eating habits. Eating together builds a healthy family relationship around meals. Slow down and enjoy this time together.
Play together
Sometimes family time that doesn’t involve physical movement is a good thing, like playing a board game. Physical movement should be a part of each day. Go for a walk and talk about your day. Throw a ball. Get up and move around as a family to teach healthy habits.
Choose fun weekend events
Use the seasons to design a fun weekend. Go apple picking in the fall, sledding in the winter, hiking in the spring and swimming in the summer. Planning ahead. If you wait until the last minute, you’ll likely end up using old standbys, like TV and video games.
Use resources near where you live
Go to your local library and look for free or low-cost museum passes. Children’s museums offer a lot of choices for things to do and usually involve a lot of walking.