5 Easy Tips for Keeping Kids Healthy
February 1, 2017This post was sponsored by Boys & Girls Clubs of America as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
As a mother of two young kids, I believe it is my responsibility to model a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle for my family. From establishing a predictable bedtime routine to encouraging adequate outdoor play regularly, keep reading for my top five tips for teaching kids how to lead healthy lifestyles.
Speaking of healthy habits, Triple Play is a wellness program, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and the Amerigroup Foundation, that encourages kids to adopt smart lifestyle habits. It’s currently being promoted in Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. Some of this program’s ideals include eating nutritious meals, staying physically active and forming positive relationships. In addition to healthy meals & physical fitness, Triple Play is also encouraging kids to connect with their communities, build a healthy self-worth, and accept differences in their peers.
In browsing the website of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, I learned a lot about the current state of youth in our country. Here are some alarming statistics I recently learned:
- 1 in 5 kids won’t graduate on time.
- 90% of Club alumni graduated.
- From 3-7pm, 11.3 million kids are left unsupervised, but Clubs are open to children during this time.
- 80% of Club alumni said the Club had a positive impact on their attitude toward health & fitness.
With Triple Play being offered in thousands of Boys & Girls Clubs across the country right after school, kids can benefit physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. If you live near a Club, be sure to consider registering your child their to give him/her the best chance of a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle. Since our kids were born, their overall well-being has been our top priority. Today, I will share some of the ways that we encourage our kids to stay healthy!
1. Consume well-balanced meals & nutritious snacks: I am always trying to ensure that my kids make smart food choices. We strive for wholesome, nutritious meals three times per day. Sometimes, I will create a little “face” on the plate to make mealtime more fun for the kids. Olives make great eyes, while shredded cheese makes great hair. It’s all about getting creative and encouraging their imaginations! One of my daughter’s favorite snacks includes some fresh fruit, a cheese stick and a yogurt pouch.
5 Easy Tips for Keeping Kids Healthy
2. Wear sunscreen every day: Teaching my kids the importance of sun safety is very important to me. I encourage my kids to wear a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 every single day, including during the cold winter days. Yes, the sun’s UVA and UVB rays can be harmful on a cloudy day. So we make sunscreen a part of our morning routine. I leave this basket on my entryway bench, so that I can grab sunscreen & hats for the kids before we walk out of the house.
5 Easy Tips for Keeping Kids Healthy
3. Brush teeth twice per day: Proper oral hygiene is something that we prioritize every day. Just like adults, children should brush their teeth twice per day. In addition to brushing, flossing (using kid-sized flossers) and using a kid-safe mouth rinse are other important steps for maintaining great oral health. One way that we make teeth brushing fun is we like to use toothbrushes and toothpaste with my kids’ favorite characters. The girls also love it when I sing silly songs as they brush!
5 Easy Tips for Keeping Kids Healthy
4. Stay physically active: My kids have a lot of energy. I make sure they channel that energy with productive outdoor play & fun activities, such as racing across the lawn or playing tag with each other. There’s something special about spending time in the great outdoors together. In fact, we try to stop by the local playground once every few days (as long as the weather cooperates).
5 Easy Tips for Keeping Kids Healthy
5. Establish a bedtime routine: A proper night’s sleep is vital to one’s overall health. That’s why we have established a specific bedtime routine that provides a sense of predictability in the kid’s day. After dinner time, I let them play together for a bit. Then, it’s time for baths – I let them bring some toys in the bath to make it more fun for them. After baths, I read stories to them and then tuck them into bed. Some nights, I will also sing a song to them.
5 Easy Tips for Keeping Kids Healthy
These are just some of the ways that our family has been encouraging our kids to be the healthy & fit. The Triple Play Game Plan, which is the wellness program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, features a well-rounded approach to the health of kids. There are three components to the program:
1. Mind: Encourages kids to be mindful of smart lifestyle habits, such as eating wholesome meals, and actively incorporating them into their routines.
2. Body: Encourages kids to become more physically active on a daily basis, by providing sports & fitness activities for both girls and boys.
3. Soul: Encourages kids to foster healthy, positive relationships & develop a healthy self-esteem & confidence.
Did that know that the Boys & Girls Clubs of America encourage kids to complete the following sentence: “I FEEL BETTER WHEN…” This important mantra is vital to encourage kids to stay committed to the health & wellness programs at the Club. After all, when it comes to healthy lifestyle habits, small changes can make long-lasting, significant impacts. On behalf of our family, we feel better when we are playing outdoors together! To stay up-to-date on the latest news & offers from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, check them out on Facebook & Twitter.
I feel better when…
Now, I’d love to hear from you! How would your child complete the sentence: “I FEEL BETTER WHEN…”? How do you encourage healthy lifestyle habits every day?
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Routines are everything! I have had one in place since day 1, so my kids know exactly what to expect.
I’ve been hearing good things about Triple Play! My grandkids love playing outside and having a peaceful bedtime routine is comforting. All of your tips are great for keeping kids healthy.
These are all good suggestions. I also encourage drinking lots of water, it flushes and keeps hydrated.
Such great tips and things that I know that I try to work to have my kids do daily as well!
Love these tips! We got my son an electric Captain America toothbrush and he tries to brush his teeth every few hours!
Great tips, I worry about the latch kid kid stuff although I have another 1.5 years before its an issue. My son will be in HS by then.
My daughter has that same blanket on the bed, it is so super soft.
I need to do better with the sun block.
I love this post so much because you covered the kiddos’ physical and mental health. Great, great info here.
We do all of these! There are days that it’s more of a struggle than others but we definitely try hard to keep a routine because my son does much better with routine. These are all awesome tips.
These are all great. I know that I heard many of these coming up, but it seems that over the years some of the things that we need to do to keep our kids healthy has gone by the wayside. As parents, we really need to make sure that these things are getting done.
We follow all of these tips in our house. Eating healthy, getting exercise, and plenty of sleep are all musts for my whole house!
These are great tips!! With three kids it can be hard to keep them healthy as flu and cold season comes along and hits hard!
Boys and Girls Club does great work. I love that you covered physical AND mental health in this post. They’re both so important.
All of these things are so important. Our bedtime routine makes it so easy to get the kids in bed.
These are all great tips and suggestions for keeping kids healthy. We make sure to encourage our kids to get outside and exercise instead of being glued to the TV or tablet.
These are great essential tips! It’s amazing how hard it is to get them to brush their teeth 2x a day 🙂 These are great stats from Boys and Girls Club. It’s a wonderful program.
It can be so hard to keep up with my kids these days. This task list, however, seems very plausible, especially with how busy I can get.
These are all great tips. Especially bedtime routines, they really do help kiddos.
what great tips. routines are everything. it is a good thing to start while they are young to get in the habit.