Parenting a primary school child is no small task. Compared to a baby or preschooler, the life of a primary school child is more demanding, what with school, homework, sports and extracurricular activities thrown in. And unlike teenagers, primary school children are still learning to cope with their new, faster-paced life and independence. Primary school children still need constant supervision and guidance from their parents.
However, by encouraging several good lifestyle habits, these growing years can bring great benefits to your child’s life.
Here are seven habits for a bright and healthy primary school-aged child:
Eat right
Encourage your child to enjoy a wide variety of foods in moderation. Variety helps to balance diet as well as stimulate appetite. Avoid meal skipping, especially breakfast, because this first meal of the day replenishes your child’s body with energy and nutrients and helps improve school performance.
Help your child establish healthy food preferences by curbing a sweet tooth and love for fried foods. Instead, introduce healthy foods like wholegrains, in various forms such as breakfast cereal made with whole grains in the morning for better energy and focus at school.
Also fill your child’s daily menu with different types of fruits and vegetables to provide essential vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fibre. Fibre prevents constipation and helps your child maintain a healthy body weight.
Lastly, grab this opportunity to educate your child on food and nutrition to encourage wise food purchases at the school canteen, tuckshop or shops.
Drink up
Children often forget to drink. Because of their small body size, they are more susceptible to dehydration, which can cause dizziness, fatigue and constipation. Water is also needed to boost your child’s immunity and for numerous body processes. Remind your child to drink small amounts of water regularly. Do not wait to get thirsty before hydrating, especially when the weather is hot and humid.
Get moving
About 76 percent of primary school children spend their leisure time indulging in sedentary activities such as watching television and playing computer games. This trend is worrying as inactivity breeds obesity. Urge your child to take up vigorous activities like walking, swimming, cycling or playing outdoor games. Let him exercise 20 minutes daily with a fun and moderate-intensity activity.
Arrest stress
Children can also be victims of stress. These youngsters get stressed out by their heavy schoolwork, exams, high parental expectations and trying to win friends. Children also absorb stress from their environment. For example, they get upset when their parents fight, when financial problems loom at home, when siblings bully them and when their environment is not peaceful. Stress can be detrimental to your child’s physical, mental and emotional health. So, learn various ways to deal with stress. Help your child find a suitable stress outlet, since children lack the experience and maturity to deal with it on their own.
Sleep tight
If the day demands so much of your child, then the night should give respite. Children should recharge the body and refresh the mind with sufficient sleep through the night. Tired children find it hard to concentrate at school and they tend to be careless and cranky. Furthermore, sleep promotes growth as growth hormones are released during sleep. Your child should aim for at least eight hours of peaceful slumber every night.
Stimulate the mind
The mind is the seat of creative thinking. Bright children have fluid minds that give birth to rich ideas. So, allow your child to think freely. Encourage self-expression through music, writing, art, public speaking or merely sharing daydreams and thoughts with you. Involve them in the myriad daily events that sharpen dexterity. Every situation poses an opportunity for learning.
Keeping clean
Cleanliness and good health go hand in hand. A reasonable level of cleanliness and personal hygiene is recommended for your child. Children are able to understand the concept of “cause and effect” at this stage. So, explain to him or her how infectious diseases are caused and the detrimental effects they have on health. Teach your child the basic rules of cleanliness like washing hands before eating, after visiting the bathroom and after playing with pets.
Instil these habits in your children and see them grow bright and healthy.
l Information provided by Nestlé South Africa. - The Mercury