Raising children isn’t easy. As parents, we are expected to do a lot of
things for our children to insure their safety and wellness. Sometimes,
it’s tough to know what is right for them, and what isn’t. After all,
they have technology available to them that we never had. They also have
a lot more distractions than we did. They are consumed with stuff!
These things in life don’t always scream "hey, this is really going to
hurt them later on down the road!"
So what are the essentials in life, in order to raise a happy and healthy child? I wanted to make a list of the most important things to remember, since life is so busy. I wanted to show parents that simple is best, sometimes, and raising a child in this day and age doesn’t have to be so difficult.
Here is a list of ten things we need to do with our children, to make sure that they will be well- adjusted, and to give them the best chance at life, when they become adults.
1. Establish a daily routine. Be consistent with the routine as much as possible. Children become grounded if they have a routine to look forward to and depend on. It is a form of security for them. It gives them stability and relieves stress.
2. Read with your child, or read to them, every day. Find a book that they are interested in and finish it together. A book opens their mind and lets them experience things that they haven’t lived yet. Reading also helps in school, and that is always a good thing!
So what are the essentials in life, in order to raise a happy and healthy child? I wanted to make a list of the most important things to remember, since life is so busy. I wanted to show parents that simple is best, sometimes, and raising a child in this day and age doesn’t have to be so difficult.
Here is a list of ten things we need to do with our children, to make sure that they will be well- adjusted, and to give them the best chance at life, when they become adults.
1. Establish a daily routine. Be consistent with the routine as much as possible. Children become grounded if they have a routine to look forward to and depend on. It is a form of security for them. It gives them stability and relieves stress.
2. Read with your child, or read to them, every day. Find a book that they are interested in and finish it together. A book opens their mind and lets them experience things that they haven’t lived yet. Reading also helps in school, and that is always a good thing!
3. Create a system of chores and rewards. Kids always like to get an
allowance, but I know that some kids don’t do what they are supposed to
until it’s pay day. They think they can get it all done in ten minutes
on Saturday, and then get money. That’s not real life. Set boundaries
for them and tell them your expectations. If they get paid an allowance
for every day’s chores, make sure that they do it every day. Otherwise,
pay them for the one day they worked, or pay them by the chore, as they
complete it. This method worked better for us.
4. Play outside with your child every day. Take them to the playground or play outside in your backyard. Make time to bond through play. This is the stuff memories are made of! Every kid wants to play. Get some outdoor toys at your home, a backyard swing set, or go to the local pay area. Just getting outside is important.
We need to be active and be sure that our child sees us enjoying life. It’s healthy and feels good to play outside. It makes us laugh and smile. Even in the cold weather, enjoy the outdoors for a little while each day. Sunlight releases vitamin D in our bodies, and that is essential for healthy development.
5. Insure that they have a healthy diet. Limit fast food to once a week or less, and see that they get a fruit or vegetable at every meal. This is a good rule for us, too. Our bodies need good food to keep us going. Our busy schedules make it hard for us to eat right, so plan ahead! Make a weekly menu to make sure that your family is eating right, or cook ahead.
6. Limit their video games, TV, and texting/SMS time. The suggested time limit is one hour a day for TV. If they play video games, that is the same thing, so place a limit on that too. Texting gets tricky to limit. I try to take the cell phone away from my daughter before we eat dinner together, then I give it back then next morning. I want to make sure she talks to us! Take away the distractions, so that they can see that family is more important.
4. Play outside with your child every day. Take them to the playground or play outside in your backyard. Make time to bond through play. This is the stuff memories are made of! Every kid wants to play. Get some outdoor toys at your home, a backyard swing set, or go to the local pay area. Just getting outside is important.
We need to be active and be sure that our child sees us enjoying life. It’s healthy and feels good to play outside. It makes us laugh and smile. Even in the cold weather, enjoy the outdoors for a little while each day. Sunlight releases vitamin D in our bodies, and that is essential for healthy development.
5. Insure that they have a healthy diet. Limit fast food to once a week or less, and see that they get a fruit or vegetable at every meal. This is a good rule for us, too. Our bodies need good food to keep us going. Our busy schedules make it hard for us to eat right, so plan ahead! Make a weekly menu to make sure that your family is eating right, or cook ahead.
6. Limit their video games, TV, and texting/SMS time. The suggested time limit is one hour a day for TV. If they play video games, that is the same thing, so place a limit on that too. Texting gets tricky to limit. I try to take the cell phone away from my daughter before we eat dinner together, then I give it back then next morning. I want to make sure she talks to us! Take away the distractions, so that they can see that family is more important.
A
typical kid only has 5 hours at home before they have to go to bed for
the evening. In that time they have homework, dinner, shower, playtime,
sports and TV or video games. There just isn’t enough time for a lot of
TV. It’s more important to make them read or study for upcoming tests at
school.
7. Play board games or other games that require mental stimulation. Learn chess, checkers, Connect Four, or Battleship (depending on your child’s age level and skill). My family played a lot of games while I was growing up, and I loved it! Games are a fun way to laugh with and bond with your child. You can learn their strengths and weaknesses, and learn their mannerisms. It’s good, clean fun and an enjoyable past time.
8. Encourage intellectual conversation. Don’t just ask "how was your day?" Ask them "What did you enjoy the most about today, and why? What did you do that was exciting? What did you do that you didn’t like?" Don’t ask yes or no questions. Make them think about their answers!
9. Discipline your child when they have done something wrong. If they tell a lie, don’t finish their homework, don’t do as they are told, or other expected things, make sure you follow through with an effective disciplinary action. They need to learn about consequences at home before they go out into the real world. If you told them to do their homework or they wouldn’t be able to spend the night at a friend’s house this weekend, then follow through with what you said. If they tell a lie, you should take privileges away that will make them remember that they don’t ever want to do that again.
When we are busy, we sometimes forget to enforce rules, and this will hurt our children in the long run. It’s important that we show them what we expect. If a discussion won’t work, then grounding them from their favorite past time is a good alternative. In our house, we continue to take privileges away until the message is received and the behavior truly changes.
10. Let them pick a fun activity to do with you. Give them 4 or 5 choices to choose from (museum, library, playground, picnic, movies, concert, make a craft together, etc.) and see what they want to do! This is a learning experience for us, to see what they like. It helps form early opinions and early decision making ability. Do it once a month, or more, if possible. As long as you limit the choices they have, you are OK to let them pick from those.
7. Play board games or other games that require mental stimulation. Learn chess, checkers, Connect Four, or Battleship (depending on your child’s age level and skill). My family played a lot of games while I was growing up, and I loved it! Games are a fun way to laugh with and bond with your child. You can learn their strengths and weaknesses, and learn their mannerisms. It’s good, clean fun and an enjoyable past time.
8. Encourage intellectual conversation. Don’t just ask "how was your day?" Ask them "What did you enjoy the most about today, and why? What did you do that was exciting? What did you do that you didn’t like?" Don’t ask yes or no questions. Make them think about their answers!
9. Discipline your child when they have done something wrong. If they tell a lie, don’t finish their homework, don’t do as they are told, or other expected things, make sure you follow through with an effective disciplinary action. They need to learn about consequences at home before they go out into the real world. If you told them to do their homework or they wouldn’t be able to spend the night at a friend’s house this weekend, then follow through with what you said. If they tell a lie, you should take privileges away that will make them remember that they don’t ever want to do that again.
When we are busy, we sometimes forget to enforce rules, and this will hurt our children in the long run. It’s important that we show them what we expect. If a discussion won’t work, then grounding them from their favorite past time is a good alternative. In our house, we continue to take privileges away until the message is received and the behavior truly changes.
10. Let them pick a fun activity to do with you. Give them 4 or 5 choices to choose from (museum, library, playground, picnic, movies, concert, make a craft together, etc.) and see what they want to do! This is a learning experience for us, to see what they like. It helps form early opinions and early decision making ability. Do it once a month, or more, if possible. As long as you limit the choices they have, you are OK to let them pick from those.
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