Teaching healthy habits for kids is one of the most powerful ways to set your child up for a bright future! You might think of health as eating broccoli or getting a flu shot, but it’s bigger than that. It’s about how your child moves, sleeps, and even how they handle their big feelings.
Building healthy habits when your child is young takes advantage of their growing brain’s elasticity and flexibility. Routines you start today will become second nature to them as they get older.
In this article, we explore some simple, science-backed habits that make staying healthy feel less like a chore and more like an adventure.
Key Takeaways
- Small, consistent changes are more effective than big, one-time overhauls.
- Modeling healthy habits is one of the most powerful teaching tools a parent has.
- Healthy habits include mental resilience and sleep, not just diet and exercise.
- Introduce these healthy habits as play for a fun and engaging way to make them stick.
Healthy Habits for Kids
1) Choose Water Instead of Sugary Drinks
Plain water is extremely important for everything from physical function to cognitive function to mental focus. This is especially true for young children whose bodies are still growing! That’s why it’s so important that they drink plenty of water every day.
An easy way to get them in the habit is to implement a fun, reusable water bottle into their daily routine. Challenge them to drink one water bottle before lunch and another before dinner.
Yes, they may still ask for sugary drinks, but you can focus on crowding out those liquids (by keeping them well hydrated) rather than putting a strict ban on them.
2) Exercise Every Day
Children should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. One of the best ways to make this happen is to shift their mindset from exercise (which can feel like work) to active play.
Suggestions for creating this type of physical activity include:
- Holding a family dance-off
- Taking a family walk
- Going for a bike ride
- Walking or riding to the playground
- Making a game out of cleaning up their room (or other household chore)
- Playing games outdoors with siblings or friends
3) Eat to Fuel Your Body
Teach your child to eat to fuel their body by focusing on colors rather than calories (sometimes called the “Rainbow Plate” philosophy).
Explain how different colors help different parts of their body and emphasize how that can be a “superpower” of sorts. For example, orange foods can build good eyesight, while green foods can build strong immunity (just like their favorite superhero).
Then, introduce your child to the wonderful world of cooking. Encourage them to help prepare their own food and emphasize the importance of eating breakfast every day. Remind them that their body needs “rainbow” fuel first thing in the morning to stay strong and healthy.
4) Get Enough Sleep
The importance of sleep, especially for growing children, should not be underestimated!
To help your child understand why they need plenty of sleep, explain to them in a simple way what happens during sleep (e.g., their brain records memories and their body releases growth hormone).
Then, schedule a “digital sunset” at least 60 minutes before bed every day. During that sunset, dim the lights and turn off screens of all types. This helps support melatonin production, which makes sleep easier, deeper, and longer.
5) Cope with Big Feelings
Big feelings can be overwhelming to young children, so it’s important that you don’t expect them to understand how to handle them on their own right away.
When new emotions pop up, reassure your child that these are normal and give them techniques to help them manage those feelings, such as belly breathing and/or the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique.
6) Connect Face-to-Face with Others
With all the exposure to screens these days, it’s important for your child to connect face-to-face with others. But this may not come naturally to some. That’s why you should talk to your child about how eye contact and conversations with others can build empathy and social intelligence.
A great way to do this is to have “device-free dinners” where everyone can practice these skills. To get things started, go around the table and have everyone share the best and hardest parts of their day (a.k.a. a high/low discussion).
This will help your child strengthen their ability to connect with others in person.
7) Keep Trying When Things Are Hard
Another healthy habit for kids is to keep trying when things are hard. Help your child understand the difference between “I can’t do this,” and “I can’t do this yet.”
To help them practice this distinction, focus on the process rather than the results. For example, praise their hard work and effort rather than the grade they got or who won the game. Remind them that practice makes progress!
8) Read Every Day
It’s never too late or too early to foster a love of reading, which can improve vocabulary, comprehension, and creativity.
For young children, make story time a daily routine. Limit screen time by reading from physical media (e.g., books, magazines, comic books, graphic novels, etc.). Introduce reading quotes. And visit the local library and let your child pick out their own reading material.
9) Keep Yourself Clean
Start teaching your child how to keep themselves clean at an early age.
Get them in the routine of bathing at least three or four times a week (more if they’re active or outside a lot). And emphasize the importance of washing their hands before eating, after playing outside, and after using the restroom.
10) Brush Teeth Twice a Day
Even though their baby teeth will eventually fall out, it’s important to get your child in the habit of brushing their teeth at least twice a day. This will serve them well as their “big kid” teeth come in.
When your child is a toddler, schedule time to help them brush their teeth in the morning and before bed at night. As they grow, explain to them how brushing keeps their teeth clean, prevents cavities, and helps them avoid potentially painful dental problems in the future.
11) Have a Positive Attitude
Encouraging your child to have a positive attitude can help them stay optimistic despite any difficulties they may face. From an early age, help them see their mistakes as learning opportunities, and emphasize the fact that they are unique.
They may not develop a positive attitude right away, but with patience, consistency, and leading by example, you can show them the power and the benefit of staying optimistic, whatever comes their way!
12) Value Unstructured Time
Teach your child the value of unstructured time. Even young children need time to be bored and to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills.
Unfortunately, many kids’ lives are overscheduled these days. Too much activity can lead to unhappiness and burnout.
To counteract this, give your child at least 30 minutes of free play (i.e., no directed goals) every day. Provide open-ended toys like blocks, art supplies, or cardboard boxes, and let them run wild.
Teaching Your Child Healthy Habits That Last
Teaching healthy habits for kids isn’t about achieving perfection overnight. It’s about making small, consistent choices that add up over time.
As a parent, you don’t need to overhaul your entire household routine in one day. In fact, trying to change everything all at once often leads to burnout for both you and your child.
Instead, try picking just one habit and focus on making it a part of your child’s life before moving on to the next habit. As you do, remember: You are your child’s most influential teacher. When they see you practicing the habits on this list, they’ll be more likely to practice them as well.
And, when you start early, you build a solid foundation that gives them the tools they need to be healthy, confident, and resilient this week, the next week, and every week after that!
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should I start teaching healthy habits?
It’s never too early to start teaching your child healthy habits! They may not understand why they have to do it, but that can come later. In the meantime, they will certainly benefit from creating good habits at a young age.
In fact, the earlier the habit is introduced, the more it will become second nature as they grow. Then, if they deviate from the habit when they’re older, they’ll be able to feel the difference and make changes to get back on track.
How can I teach good nutrition to a picky eater?
The keys to teaching good nutrition to a picky eater are patience and consistency.
It can take up to 15 tries for your young child to accept a new food, so don’t let their rejection of something deter you from trying. Keep the pressure low, offer tiny portions at every meal, and model healthy eating habits yourself.
How do I handle screen time when my child needs a tablet for schoolwork?
One of the best ways to handle screen time when your child needs a computer for school is to make a distinction between active and passive screen time.
Active screen time includes such activities as creating, learning, and doing schoolwork. Passive screen time, on the other hand, includes things like scrolling, mindless watching, and playing games.
For active screen time, prioritize completing schoolwork and then allow a specific amount of time for creating and learning. It’s also important to encourage the same creating and learning activities offline.
For passive screen time, set clear boundaries and time limits so that the school tablet doesn’t become just another TV. Also, encourage reading offline so that the tablet/computer doesn’t become the only way your child knows how to consume information.
