1. Proactive health care.
Keeping up with regular wellness visits for yourself and your family is important. Role modeling this healthful habit will benefit not only you but your children as well. Regular child wellness checkups help track your child's growth, behavior, sleep, eating, and social development. This will be something they feel comfortable doing growing up and will hopefully carry on into adulthood.
2. Forgive.
No one is perfect, and we all need grace. Being open with your children that you make mistakes is a way to show them how to ask for forgiveness and how to offer it. By modeling this behavior, it can help improve your own health and well-being while teaching kids tolet go of grudges and bitterness.
3. Exercise.
Try going on a nature hike or a walk on the beach. Maybe get a family game of four square or basketball going. Play is good for your family's health. If you are a family of runners, find a local race and make it an annual thing you do together. It’s a way not only to keep your family healthy but also to bond by sharing activities you enjoy with them.
4. Get quality sleep.
We all know that sleep is important for the body and mind to restore and reset. It is an essential element of success for children. Plan for an early bedtime and work out a consistent routine for winding down. No screen time is highly recommended. When a child is sleep deprived, they tend to wind up, not down. This leads to crankiness in children and parents.
5. Explore new things.
Start by making a list of activities to try together. Doing this as a family can be lots of fun. This gives them a chance to feel valued, like they are contributing to the family. Post the list somewhere the whole family can see. When you complete an activity, you can celebrate and mark it off the list.
6. Spend time.
Role model the importance of strong family relationships by being kind to your loved ones. Make sure you spend quality time with family members without distractions. Plan a weekly game night, or make it a point to have dinner together as a family. Schedule regular virtual time with loved ones who are not in your household.
7. Show gratitude.
Expressing gratitude helps to create a joyful atmosphere in any household. Try creating a family thankful jar, and encourage everyone to put a note in the jar each day with something they are grateful for. Then while you are all at the dinner table, take time to read them. Another way is to save them up for a year and set some family time to read them together. It’s always fun remembering all the gratefulness and fun memories throughout the year. Open your heart to gratitude and offer grace during challenging times.
Modeling some of these healthy behaviors is a good place to start. Don’t try to make too many changes at first. Introduce just one or two. You will find that some will stick, and those are the ones that you run with. Remember to give yourself and your family some grace, understanding, forgiveness, and love. Any time you spend together is always worth it.