It is often more difficult to reverse bad habits than to teach good habits from the start, but making a positive change in your parenting is always worth the effort. As you tackle the unhealthy choices your children may make, here are better, healthier alternatives to encourage.
Substitute Processed Junk Foods with Homemade Snacks
Relying on ready-made junk food might keep your kids fed and satisfied on a stressful day, and few kids will say no to a tasty bag of chips. However, according to EatRight.org, most processed foods are loaded with extra sugar and sodium and don’t provide children with the nutrients they need to maintain a healthy, energetic lifestyle.
Take control of your child’s diet by prepping healthy, homemade options ahead of time instead. Some snacks are easy to prepare, such as cut-up fruits and vegetables.
You can also add new recipes:
● Oat bars
● Banana bread
● Homemade guacamole
● Deviled eggs
● Protein energy balls
Trade Tablets and Smartphones for Interactive Learning Devices
Studies show that too much screen time can have a negative effect on the learning and social development of kids, especially babies and toddlers. Even learning videos designed with little ones in mind can be detrimental to their emotional skills and language acquisition, and interacting with adults or toys is the primary way children under three acquire new information.
Despite these studies, most young children watch well over the recommended limit of an hour of screen time a day. Additionally, NPR notes that 53% of kids own a smartphone by the age of 11. Consider replacing these devices with more interactive learning toys, such as LeapStart systems, which incorporate fun games, favorite animated characters, and fun sounds and music to teach kids letters, phonics, math, and other educational topics based on age.
Skip Late Night Television and Pick Up a Sport Instead
Getting kids and teens off the couch and away from the TV or the computer screen can be a constant debate for parents, especially when children feel bored and unchallenged. Helping your children develop a new hobby that allows them to interact with other kids and work toward a goal they care about can spur them into action.
Activities like learning an instrument or taking art classes are great for memory development, career opportunities, mental health, and youth substance use & delinquency prevention. Also, encourage your children to boost their physical health by trying a new sport. While some kids may thrive in competitive sports, others may enjoy fun, physical activities with friends. Kids of all ages often enjoy martial arts, which can help improve flexibility, reflexes, cardiovascular health, and strength. Whatever the activity, Just Say Something suggests trying to make it happen outdoors, as the benefits of nature and fresh air are profound, especially when it comes to keeping kids engaged in some wholesome substance-free activities.
Replace Procrastinating with Family Study Time
Kids may procrastinate doing their schoolwork, if they are stressed about the task, bored with the activity, or struggle with time management. Lecturing and forcing your children to focus on their studies may not boost their performance, but making homework time a family activity can motivate them to focus and make the experience more positive.
Modeling goal-setting behaviors and time-management skills you want your kids to develop can help them acquire these habits down the road. Inspire your kids in their studies by taking time to pursue your own passions, such as earning an online accounting degree to start your entrepreneurial journey or working toward a graphic design degree to become a web designer. By doing coursework online, you’re free to study at your own pace and at your own place, allowing you to keep your current job, earn while you learn, and avoid the COVID or Delta viruses.
Making changes in your family's regular routine and parenting methods can be difficult to start. However, substituting negative habits with healthy, substance-free pursuits shows kids that the alternatives can be fun at the moment and rewarding in the long run.
Written by Laura Pearson, Guest Writer
Edutude.net = Where education has an attitude!
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