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Developing good daily habits and coping methods from a young age allows your child to lead a healthier lifestyle and better manage their feelings. This can help buffer negative impacts whenever they feel overwhelmed or distressed.

How can you contribute to your child’s well-being?

Ensure your child has sufficient time to rest, recharge, and participate in physical activities like exercise or activities with family and friends. This can help them better cope with difficulties and achieve greater physical and mental well-being.

Here are some general tips you can use to encourage your child to develop good daily habits and coping methods:

  • Develop a healthy and balanced lifestyle by using a planner to plan and keep track of daily activities, including time spent on devices

  • Encourage them to take breaks and rest (e.g. play with their friends or siblings for a set amount of time, exercise, journal, participate in activities they enjoy)

What are some good daily habits your child should develop?

To help your child maintain a healthy daily routine, you can guide them to develop good exercise, sleep, eating, and digital habits. These will help to promote their physical and mental well-being.

Here are some good daily habits you can encourage your child to have:

Exercise Habits

  • Ensure they get at least 1 hour of exercise every day

  • While it is helpful if your child has a hobby that involves physical activity like sports or dance, they can also do simple physical activities like taking the stairs or walking to the bus stop

  • Organise outings that involve physical activity, such as taking a walk in the park or going to the playground

Sleep Habits

Encourage them to develop a good bedtime routine

Having an effective routine can help ensure they have a restful sleep

Some good habits include:

  • Keeping their bedroom dark, quiet, and at a comfortable temperature

  • Avoiding watching TV or using their devices in the bedroom

  • Winding down with relaxing activities before bedtime (e.g. putting away devices at least an hour before bedtime to read a book instead)

  • Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day (even weekends and school holidays) as much as possible

Eating Habits

Support and encourage them to eat nutritious meals and have a balanced diet

Promoting a healthy diet from a young age will make it easier for them to maintain one in the future.

You can help encourage a good diet by:

  • Making nutritious food options available to them

  • Showing them how to have a healthy and balanced diet by adopting one yourself

  • Limiting the amount of less nutritious food and drinks (e.g. potato chips, sugary drinks) that are readily available

  • Involve them in preparing nutritious meals

  • This increases their feelings of ownership and makes them more likely to accept and eat prepared meals

Contributed by: Parenting for Wellness