Practicing self-care habits teaches people the importance of prioritizing health and wellness. It allows them to discover the benefits of choosing activities that help them lead a happier and fulfilling lifestyle. No wonder, most adults are trying their best to perform self-care habits despite their busy schedules.
Kids, on the other hand, don’t clearly understand the concept of self-care. Most of them would rather spend time playing with their toys, interacting with other children, or simply doing whatever they want. Thus, if you have kids, you are responsible for instilling the right habits in these young individuals.
Practical Ways to Teach Kids about Self-Care
Teaching your kids to follow healthy habits can be tricky. Even asking them to eat healthy food is already a challenge. Telling them to perform other activities that help them improve their health will definitely become a real chore. This is especially true if they don’t understand why they need to practice such habits. Thus, if you want them to start taking care of their health and well-being, you need to slowly teach them why they need to do certain tasks. Also, it would be best if you can find a way to make sure they feel comfortable in practicing self-care habits. Here are a few strategies to do this:
- Help them build a routine—Teaching them to follow strict rules about healthy living may only overwhelm and confuse them. Thus, make sure to pace your lessons properly. Also, aim in building a routine instead of instilling rules in the household. This way, they will get used to performing certain activities without being told most of the time.
- Model good habits—Become their role model by showing them how leading a healthy life is done. This means, you also need to build a healthy routine so your children will learn the proper way to do certain tasks. For instance, you can show them how you take care of yourself. Show them that you are also making an effort to stay healthy and happy. With this, they will likely follow your instructions because they can see its effect on you.
- Teach them the importance of sleep and rest—Avoid forcing them to sleep, especially if you don’t even tell them why they need to do it. While they are young, ensure that they already understand why they need to follow good sleeping habits. Remind them that their mind and body need rest. This way, they will have enough energy to enjoy and take on new challenges the next day. Also, make sure they know how sleep helps boost their immune system and allows them to prevent catching diseases.
- Ensure you spend quality time with them—Aside from physical health habits, make sure you also instill routines that help them take care of their psychological needs. Make sure they grow up having the right support system by making sure they enjoy spending time with you and other family members. Simple moments such as eating meals together or enjoying the weekend with your loved ones will be enough to teach them about the importance of having social interaction.
- Allow them to speak their minds—Stop dictating them everything they need to do. Allow them to make their own decisions so they slowly learn how to become independent individuals. For instance, when picking clothes to wear, give them options and allow them to pick which one they want. When buying them books or even toys, let them decide. This helps them learn that they are free to make their own decisions. This way, when they grow older, they don’t end up being too indecisive and they don’t need to rely on other people’s input too much.
- Introduce them to friendly health experts—Letting them talk to health care experts also allow them to gain more knowledge about health and wellness. Thus, make sure you introduce them to friendly experts such as doctors or dentists for children. Perform a background check on these professionals and make sure their past clients have positive feedback about their services. This way, your kids won’t feel scared or intimidated whenever they need to visit them for checkups and other services.
Children should be taught the right things starting at home. Thus, make sure you teach them the right things, especially when it comes to building healthy routines. Ensure they learn about the importance of taking care of themselves. Let them understand that not prioritizing health will have a negative impact on their mind and body. Also, ensure they know how health and wellness can affect their quality of life. Even if they are still young, it’s crucial that they already know why it’s important to prioritize their health no matter what.