[AD] When it comes to teaching your child about nutrition and exercise there’s nothing better than showing them by example. Eating a healthy, varied diet and getting plenty of regular exercise at a young age is how these important habits are formed.
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Teaching your child about nutrition
Get them involved in cooking
Talking to your child about food, nutrition and healthy choices is one thing, but allowing them to help in the kitchen is the best way of truly cementing these ideas.
Children can begin helping in the kitchen from a surprisingly young age. All it takes is some patience.
Smaller children can help mix and stir, whilst older children can chop vegetables and by 8 or 9, actually cook a meal with assistance. Hands-on experience with food will help your child to engage with the idea of nutrition as it’s far more interesting than simply being told which foods are healthy and which are not. Explaining the difference between processed foods and fresh, whole foods is a great way to ensure your child always knows what choices are good and what are not.
Learning the basics
Talk to your child about foods which grow, such as fruit, vegetables, grains and nuts – discuss how meat and fish are brought to the table. Explain that the foods which are best for us are those which have not been altered in any way before reaching the shelves in the shops.
Show your child videos about food production – let them see how ready meals or instant sauces are prepared and how they have additional chemicals added to them to ensure they stay fresh for longer. Also explain how many of these additives are not good for us – colouring and preservatives in particular. Your child will soon grasp that food which is in its natural state is the best choice for good, long term health.
Teaching your child about exercise
Exercise is fun
Whether your child is sporty or not, there is always a way to make exercise fun. Children who love to play football or to run, climb and jump will engage far more if you praise them for their energy.
For children who are physically slower or not so keen on sports, engage in walking and swimming in addition to fun, physical challenges such as juggling and hula-hooping. Explain how the body we have, needs to be challenged every single day in order to grow healthily and be able to fight off germs.
Once your child attends school, they will of course engage in daily exercise and education about nutrition and there may also be fun, additional programmes for them to enjoy such as those offered by this private school in Battersea.
Enjoying life is tied up with staying healthy in both body and mind so if you start your child early on in life, these good habits should last a lifetime.
