If you teached your kid healthy habits while he is young, he would not need to spend his energy later on to create those habits. It means that he could use his energy on making a difference and changing the world. Who does not want that for their kids?

Top 3 things you could do with your kid right now

1. Take your kid with you while exercising

When I was 12 or so, my dad, my brother and I used to run every morning. We usually ran about 2 km to the lake near our house. Sometimes we used to run “the lap of lazybones” (as we used to call it) – 300 meters or so around the house. But it was a habit and we enjoyed it. Yes, sometimes it was so difficult to wake up 20 minutes earlier to do the exercising but with the relevant encouragement we did it almost every day! Guess what I enjoy doing today? Yes, you are right – I enjoy running very much! And interestingly, it is not hard for me to run – it comes so naturally.

What do you love doing? Riding a bike? Swimming? Running? Skiing? Or maybe playing basketball or football? Whatever you enjoy doing yourself, do that with your kid!

While your kid is small, it might seem difficult to do the activity with her. And if you take her with you, it seems that you do not really exercise but rather imitate exercising (as she is, of course, not so advanced in the activity as you are). But I can assure you – it will eventually pay off. You would be so proud of yourself (and your kid) when you see your teenager doing something you taught her to do.

The most important thing is to choose the activity which you really enjoy. So, if you are in the running, do that with your kids. But if you hate running, don’t force yourself and your kids to do that!

The time spent with your kid doing what you love is an invaluable time for both of you. The memories of activities done together will continue to the adulthood of your kid.

2. Play the game “Find a healthy snack” at a grocery store

Once at a grocery store, ask your kid to find 3 healthy snacks. You could also give a budget for this game (e.g. 10 euros), so that your kid learns to count as well!

When your kid brings the chosen items to you, discuss whether they are healthy or not. Your kid might need some help in the beginning to identify the healthy snacks but later on he will be able to do that individually! Next time, ask him to find 3 healthy snacks again, but not the same as before. This way you would expand your kid’s understanding of variety of healthy snacks.

3. Make only healthy snacks available at home

What kind of food can your kid reach in the kitchen without your help? Fruits, vegetables, nuts? Or sweets and buns?

It is impossible to track what your kid eats every time she enters the kitchen. Therefore, make sure that snacks around her are healthy. Good examples are various nuts, fruits (apples, bananas, oranges…) and vegetables (cherry tomatoes, olives, carrots…).

Ideally, non-healthy snacks should be out of home (not only out of reach for your kids). However, if you cannot live without sweets yourself, make sure to put them somewhere where your kids cannot reach and in the place they are not aware about.

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