One of the key moments in life for many adults is when they decide to start a family. Often this will be the result of years of planning and preparation after meeting a life partner.
For any new parent, words do not adequately describe the joy of seeing your newborn grow and develop. Key stages such as their first steps and first words spoken are landmark events. As the child grows, you will want to ensure that they are prepared for their school careers and that they have the best possible chance of academic success and intellectual development.
Another key consideration for any parent is to prioritize the health and fitness of their children. Healthy habits should be encouraged from the outset and built upon as they grow. This will ensure that they become physically strong teenagers and subsequently have a healthy adult life.
In this article, some key ways to ensure that your children stay fit and healthy will be explored.
Promote sporting activities
Undertaking physical exercise has a wide range of health benefits including improved mental development, increased resistance to illness, and enjoying a better quality of sleep. An ideal way to promote improved health in your children is by encouraging them to take part in sporting activities.
Many sports are a source of fun and can promote teamwork and communication whilst ensuring that high levels of fitness can be achieved. One sport that is growing in popularity is kickball. This is a mix of soccer and baseball and is now enjoyed by children all around the world as an excellent source of exercise.
If your school does not run kickball as part of its sporting schedule, look online for sites such as https://clubwaka.com/kickball/. Here, you will find professionally run club events that are available in many different locations.
In short, this growing sport is ideally suited for children and is a fun way to stay fit and healthy.
Provide home-cooked meals
Whilst regular exercise is vitally important for any growing child, so too is enjoying a balanced and healthy diet. Many ready meals and processed foods contain high levels of salt, preservatives, and saturated fats.
Put simply, these should not form the basis of meals in your home; it is far better to take the time to create home-cooked meals that are cooked with fresh, natural ingredients. Typically, these meals will be higher in essential vitamins and minerals, and many can be cheaper than buying preprepared meals or convenience foods.
As your children grow older, they can help to prepare the meals. Give them more complex tasks as they become more competent, but ensure that younger children are always supervised when cooking.
Monitor screen time
It is estimated that children spend over seven hours a day watching screens (such as on their smartphones, tablets, computers, or TVs). Whilst there is no consensus on how much screen time is too much, it is important to limit this activity.
Spending hours sitting and watching a screen is not particularly beneficial to children and may limit their social development if extended watching takes place regularly. Parents should provide other forms of entertainment for their children and ensure that screens are not watched at least two hours before bedtime so that healthy sleep can be achieved.
