by Troop Atomic Mommy
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Parenting comes with certain responsibilities, and that includes keeping your kids healthy and happy. In order to ensure this happens, you do whatever it takes. Now, there are a whole host of things that you can do to focus on health and happiness inducing activities and lifestyle changes you can consider incorporating into your family routine!
Schedule Health Checks
There are a number of health checks kids should have at different ages. From a young age, they should visit a dentist who can monitor the development of their teeth and teach them good dental hygiene practices. They should visit an audiologist at set points in their development to ensure that they are hearing properly and clearly. They will also have routine vaccinations that you need to keep on top of for them.
Implementing a Healthy Diet
From fast food restaurants to sweets, chocolates and snacks, many foods have child-friendly packaging that encourages kids to crave them and request them. Sure, the occasional treat is fine. But the majority of your child’s diet should be composed of healthy, balanced meals and snacks. It’s up to you to implement this on their behalf.
Create a meal plan that covers all of their breakfast, lunch and dinners for the week ahead. This ensures that they’re getting all of the important food groups like plenty of fruit and veggies. Make sure you’re serving the right amount too. The below calorie counts are recommended for children of different age groups.
- Children aged 2 to 8 – 1000 to 1400 calories
- Girls aged 9 to 13 – 1400 to 1600 calories
- Boys aged 9 to 13 – 1600 to 2000 calories
Occupy Their Minds
Kids tend to look for stimulation and activities constantly. They always want something to do. So, why not make these activities fun and educational. This can help them to maintain a healthy mind and pique their curiosity. Education doesn’t have to be confined to school. Instead, you can take your kids to all sorts of places to learn and expand their minds. Many museums and art galleries have children’s sections where kids can play, learn and have fun. Nature walks are a great way to get your kid outdoors and learning about plants, animals, weather and more. You could try arts and crafts activities at home that can spur more creativity. They could learn to play an instrument, or use online apps and software to learn the basics of a new language.
The Takeaway
These are just a few areas to focus on when it comes to ensuring that your children get the lifestyle they need to be healthy and happy. Hopefully, the information will help you to implement this!