Set Up Snack Stations Support healthy snacking while encouraging independence by creating easy to access, portioned snacks. Pre-divide fruit, veggies, or cheese and crackers into baggies or containers and keep on a lower shelf. Pre-pour milk or juice into smaller, reusable bottles and store in the door or lower shelf of the fridge. You won’t have to worry about kids pouring too much or creating spills trying to aim into a cup. Kids will feel empowered when they can choose and grab their own snack, all while you help foster healthy choices and portion sizes. | Be a Role Model by Eating Healthy Yourself Kids are excellent observers, always looking to adults for guidance on how to act, eat, speak, etc. Encourage their healthy eating habits by making smart choices for yourself as well. Choose fruits and veggies, water and milk, instead of opting for soda and chips. Make snack prep fun by creating your own snack station, that way when the family gets home from work and school you can sit down together and discuss your day while snacking healthy. Include kids in making meals too! They can about the different food groups and how ingredients come together to form a tasty meal. As they learn to identify what ingredients create each distinct flavor, picky eaters can learn how to expand their palate by adjusting the amounts put in each dish. | Encouraging Health Through Play Keeping kids active helps them both physically and mentally. Get the whole family to put down electronics and participate in building a fort or playing hide and seek. Go outside and play tag or walk around the neighborhood playing I Spy. If you need to get some work done, independent play gives kids a chance to think for themselves and get creative. You can inspire them with prompts like find as many different leaves in the backyard as they can, or draw a picture of a friendly dragon. You can even help older kids learn to recognize their emotions and practice reading and writing by give them journal prompts, such as “write about a time when you felt really sad, then about a time when you felt really happy”. | Sleep Routines Creating a bedtime routine has many benefits. Performing the same actions before bed helps kids get in the right state of mind to wind down and fall asleep faster. As kids get older and are able to perform tasks on their own, you can further encourage their growth and independence by creating a short and simple list for them to follow. Start with pictures as cues, then as they learn to read, encourage word recognition by writing out the list. Create a tradition that helps your little one look forward to bedtime, such as reading a short story, creating an oral short story together, or talking about what they liked best about the day. |
