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Good Health Tips for Kids

Childhood is the perfect time for a child to develop good health habits. If a child grows up eating right, getting plenty of exercise, getting the right amount of sleep and practicing good hygiene, the greater the chance those healthy habits will stick with her into adulthood.

  1. Exercise

    • Children are creatures of habit, so it is important to establish good exercise habits early on. Children should exercise about an hour each day (including a 10 to 15-minute warm-up of stretching and easy activity such as walking or light calisthenics.) Exercise can be individual or in pairs (rollerblading, bicycling, jumping rope) or it can be a group activity such as swimming or athletic teams. Weight training is recommended only after children reach what is called the Tanner stage 5 level of development; this usually happens around the age of 15.

    Nutrition

    • If children learn to eat well, they will develop healthful favorite foods that will remain favorites throughout life. The National Institutes of Health recommends five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and protein from sources such as lean meat, nuts and eggs. Whole-grain breads and cereals are recommended for their high-fiber content. Avoid fast food and junk food (and junk food that poses as health food, such as low-fat or nonfat versions of popular snacks). Foods should be broiled, grilled or steamed instead of fried, when possible, and children should drink water, milk and real juice instead of sugar-filled soda and fruit drinks.

    Hand-washing

    • Children love to touch things, and as a result, they pick up and spread a lot of germs. A certain level of germ exposure is healthy for the body's immune system, but a child with poor hygiene will be a sickly child (and the same can be said for adults.) Instill good hand-washing habits in children: Get them to wash their hands vigorously, with soap and hot water, before and after eating (or handling food, if they're helping in the kitchen). They should also wash their hands after using the restroom, and when using public restrooms, they should be careful not to touch the door handle on the way out (to avoid germs from people who don't wash their hands.)

    Get Plenty of Rest

    • Try to establish a bedtime for the child between the ages of 1 and 3. Toddlers need 10 to 13 hours of sleep a day (including nap times.) Children who are 6 to 9 years old should get about 10 hours of sleep a night. Teenagers need about eight to 9 1/2 hours, and that need grows as they make their way through puberty. Lack of sleep leads to decreased attention span, short-term memory problems and poor performance in school.

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