New Year Resolutions That Will Make This Year a Healthy One
This is the time of year everyone starts making their wish list for resolutions they’d like to make happen in 2018. Why not use this opportunity to make some positive changes in your child’s daily life that can help them stay healthy and safe in the new year?
Washing Hands Is Fun To Do
Teach them to wash hands thoroughly with a fun object lesson. Glitter…something that will get every kids attention! Sprinkle glitter all over their damp, little hands. This represents the germs they get stuck to them throughout the day. They touch the dog, sprinkle some glitter. They go to the bathroom, sprinkle some more. You get the idea! Now have them touch their face. Glitter, like the germs, spreads to every thing. Including their nose, eyes and mouth where the germs enter into their bodies and make them sick. Now wash their hands in warm water and soap. How long did it take to get off? That’s the right amount of time to properly wash hands.
Sneezes and Coughs Are Not For Sharing
Take a second to search the web for a still picture of someone sneezing. The images you find will show that phlegm, saliva, snot and germs get projected over 35 feet into the air and surrounding areas if coughs and sneezes are left uncovered. Yuck. Talk about a visual aid. This can help kids understand that you are not just nagging them because you think it’s fun. There is a reason why we cover our mouths when we cough and our noses when we sneeze and that is to not spread unwanted germs to everything and everyone around us. The elbow sneeze is arguably the best approach to keeping germs at bay. If kids just sneeze into their hands everything they touch becomes contaminated. As a parent you understand, kids touch a lot of things.
Fruits and Veggies With a Side of Guilt
Sometimes this battle can turn into a war between parent and child. Why allow this to be a source of grief and contention when you can ease up a little and try to make the situation a positive experience? Instead of threatening, try introducing fruits and veggies in a way that your children might actually learn to like them. How? Leave a fruit platter out after soccer practice with cool whip and caramel for them to dip it into. Put butter on their asparagus at dinner and let them taste it with all the flavor that can offer. Give fresh vegetables a fighting chance by allowing ranch as a dip or hummus. This may not be an ideal scenario, but at least your child would be learning to eat fresh fruits and veggies and their taste buds will acquire a craving for it.
Start Thinking About Head Lice
Arm your children with knowledge about head lice. How it is caught, how it is spread, who can get lice, and how to get rid of it. Show them a picture of a louse. Show them a picture of a nit. Talk about the signs and symptoms. Most importantly, teach them how to avoid it. Do not share hats, helmets, clothing with hoods, pillows, blankets or stuffed animals. Do not pass around hairbrushes, hair bows, or any hair accessories that could have traces of lice. Remind them that head lice is not something to be ashamed of. It is something that can be treated and avoided.