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We all want our children to grow up to be well-adjusted and happy adults. However, it is often a matter of genuine difficulty trying to get to that point. Part of the problem is that there is so much conflicting information out there. It can often be hard to know who or what to believe.
However, there are some basics that apply to all children. As long as you are trying to instill these habits in your kids, you will find that they grow up more in control of their own fates. That means they will have the power to make a life filled with purpose and success. Here are a few core habits that you can easily pass along to your children.
Looking After The Body
There is nothing quite as important as knowing how to properly care for the body. This is a top priority that your children need to learn. Yet, it can be surprisingly difficult to teach them about wellness given all the conflicting information that contributes to the confusion.
In general, you should ensure that your children know the basics of nutrition and fitness. This is something that you can start teaching from an early age. The more they know about how to best look after their own health, the better able they will be to take care of themselves as adults. Make sure they know how much exercise is effective yet safe, and the types of exercise to try, whether it be yoga, jumping rope, or the endless activities available.
Also, be sure to give them a good sense of what constitutes a balanced diet. Without this understanding, it will be difficult for them to have a strong nutritional basis for their food and drink habits. Looking after the body means knowing what works and what doesn’t, and having the ability to follow through on this knowledge. By working on these habits now, your children will live longer, happier lives.
Looking After The Mind
Often, we spend so much time and energy on looking after the body but then we forget about the mind. When it comes to teaching your children healthy habits, it is essential to make sure that they understand the importance of looking after the mind as well. After all, the mind is just as major a part of their health as the body. In fact, the two are inextricably linked. As long as they are looking after one, they are looking after the other. But even most adults do not know everything they need to know about looking after the mind.
Mental health is a big concern for everyone, and it pays to teach your children about the importance of looking after their own mental health. This can be done in many ways. Mostly, it is a matter of learning how to keep stress to a minimum. Additionally, getting a good night’s sleep is incredibly important for children. Sleep is one of the most important parts of looking after the mind. With poor quality sleep, or a small amount of it, you can easily end up with many physical, mental, and emotional problems. Be sure to teach your children to have a good understanding of their own minds; this is likely to have positive effects in the long run. For more on looking after the mind, see http://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work/taking-care-of-yourself/.
Meditation And Conscious Breathing
One of the best habits for both of those listed above is to meditate. Meditation is actually very simple, although over time it has become mystified. If you teach your children the art of consciously breathing while remaining still, it will have many distinct benefits. For one, they will develop the ability to keep stress at bay from an early age. This will make many aspects of life much easier to manage and will reduce the likelihood of mental or physical illness developing down the road. They will also, more often than not, turn out to be much happier and more able children. If there is one thing you should teach your children how to do, it is meditation. Explore these tips for fitting in meditation with your children during their hectic day.
Expressing Gratitude
Finally, something that has many proven benefits is the simple act of expressing gratitude. It has been shown that stopping acknowledges what we are thankful for leads to a happier outlook on life with less stress. As such, it is something that your children are likely to benefit from tremendously. If you can get them into the habit of expressing gratitude from an early age, it is likely to have a positive effect in the long run. Check out these creative ideas for children to express gratitude all year long.
What habits are you using to set your children up for a happy life?
Great post! I love how you include taking care of the body and the mind with meditation and grattitude. I’m grateful for this post :).
I’ve found that playfulness also creates a happy family. During those frustrating moments when kids are fussing, not listening, and even melting down, it’s good to take a breath and then create a playful game. Kids aren’t getting ready in the morning? Play a beat the clock racing game. Kids aren’t picking up their toys? Play music and guess how many songs until everything is put away. This playful approach makes parenting more fun, empowers kids, and connects families. Everyone is happier :). Since this strategy helped me as a single stressed out parent, I wrote a light-hearted, easy to read book to help others, “Parenting-Let’s Make a Game of It.” It’s exciting because it’s already been a #1 Amazon New Release in 7 parenting categories. Now I’m going to check out your other post on creative ways for children to express grattitude. Thanks!
That’s great! I’ll have to check it out.
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Love the one about gratitude. This is definitely something will always need to be worked on for life! Starting a gratitude journal with your child is a great way to build a bond of thankfulness together, while teaching a life skill to be built on. This was a great article, thanks for sharing!
I love these ideas. I also added “service”, meaning that they were raised knowing that they should give back/help out others who are not as fortunate…helped them appreciate what they had.
Great idea, thank you for sharing.
One of the big things we have done with our kids is to teach them to see needs and fill them. This is especially true during the holidays, which is why we give to so many different places and why our kids don’t receive as many gifts. Giving is vital to people. It helps them become better people, and appreciate what they have even more.
Great feedback, thank you.
So true! We use meditation and breathing techniques with our 8 year old son who has autism. It can help so many kids! Love “expressing gratitude” as well! Too infrequent these days!
What a coincidence, I was talking to my older son, 9 yrs now, how important it is to take care of his body while applying moisturizing cream on his arms and legs this morning! I need to have him read this list. Each point you make is indeed crucial towards making rounded individuals of them!! Thank you!
These are great habits. They are also good reminders for us as parents, as well! If we want our kids to adopt healthy practices, we better make sure we are modeling them. It was good for me to read through your list and ask myself whether *I* am setting a good example in those areas.
Great post!
I can totally relate. It is so important that we model positive behavior to our children even when we are busy and stressed.
Really great post! These are the exact things we try to focus on with our kiddos. The only thing we haven’t done is focus on breathing and meditation. That’s an excellent idea!
Check out the mindfulness section of my blog for some great tips on getting your children interested in mindfulness and meditation.