7 Activities That Are Important for Your Child’s Health

30.11.2018 WELLNESS 0.0 0

Entertaining your children is easy if all you do is let them play with their toys. However, there are so many activities that can actually improve both their physical and mental health. Plus, most of them are fun as well, so you shouldn’t have too many problems encouraging your child to give them a try. With that in mind, here are seven activities that can benefit your child in more ways than one.

Exercise

We all know that exercising is important, but not many people realize just how important it is. Any physical activity can do wonders for your child’s health. It doesn’t matter whether your child prefers something simple like playing football with their neighborhood friends or something a bit more serious like martial arts. As long as they are moving and spending their energy, the benefits will show very fast. Some of those benefits include stronger bones and muscles, healthier weight, stronger lungs and heart, and the ability to maintain their focus for longer.

Choosing their own clothes

This idea might seem silly at first. After all, if we let our kids choose their clothes, they’d be spending their entire childhood in pajamas. Therefore, the goal is to let them choose, but to limit their choices so they still look “presentable”. For example, you can let them pick between a blue shirt and a yellow one. Or, if you have a daughter, you can let her choose between a skirt, dress, or pants. This activity helps your child develop confidence because it teaches them how to make their own decisions. It also gives them some sense of control over their appearance, which can help them develop their own style over time.

Social activities

Kids need playmates in order to develop their social skills and discover their social strengths and weaknesses. Playing with other kids can also help them develop a sense of belonging, and it can teach them how to work in a team. Besides letting them play in the park with other kids or getting them a pet they can talk to, you can also let them join a playgroup for kids. They would be in a safe and stimulating environment, which would definitely benefit their health.

Painting and drawing

Most kids like to draw and paint, and if yours does as well, you should definitely encourage this activity. Drawing and painting allow them to practice their creativity. It can help them express their emotions too, especially when they don’t know how to do it in words. Plus, it’s a hobby that can turn out to be quite lucrative, and there aren’t many things better for one’s health than being able to turn their passion into something profitable as well.

Cooking

It’s never too early to teach your child how to prepare their own food. You can start with simple things, like making a sandwich. As they get older, you can move on to the basics, like frying and boiling an egg, making a soup, or simply heating up a meal. Keep teaching them until you can rest assured that even if left home alone for a day, they wouldn’t go hungry waiting for you. As for the benefits – knowing how to prepare an actual meal will prevent them from buying unhealthy fast food. It can also boost their confidence because they’ll know that they won’t go hungry if they come home from school before you return from work.

Playing with a pet

The benefits of growing up with a pet are numerous, from providing your child with unconditional love to teaching them responsibility. Plus, playing with a dog, walking it, and grooming it also adds to the amount of necessary physical activity your child should get. Moreover, research has shown that pets can reduce the amount of stress and anxiety, so it’s definitely something you should consider. If you live in an apartment and can’t afford a dog, a hand-fed parakeet or a hamster can also be good starting pets.

Reading

Just like exercise is important for your child’s physical health, reading is important for their mental health. Besides improving their vocabulary, books can also give them insight into different cultures, emotions, and lifestyles in general. Consequently, this can make your child more empathetic towards people who are different from them. In other words, it could help them grow up into more tolerant and self-conscious adults.

There are many different activities that can benefit your child’s health and improve their lifestyle. So, besides letting them play with their toys, you should also encourage them to read, draw, and practice their social skills. Let them have a pet if possible, and allow them to choose their own clothes when they are old enough. This way, your child is more likely to grow up into a mature adult who can take care of themselves.

Guest post by Stella Van Lane

About the Author

Stella van Lane is a passionate writer in love with coffee, chocolate, music, books and good vibes. Her top interests are health, yoga, meditation and interior design. Follow Stella on Twitter.