I know for me this is a big challenge with my 4 boys. Everywhere we go someone is handing them sugar or junk food. I am torn between the thoughts of letting them be kids and enjoy some of the junk while they are so active and they burn it as fast as they eat it.
Then I have the thought of I need to instill in them habits of eating healthy for the obvious giving them the best chance for great health now and in the future. As parents we want the best for our children and should groom them to succeed in every area of life which includes their health.
I have tried over the years to balance this out and figure out fun ways to encourage my kids to eat better and make those choices on their own. I found making it a game worked well for my family. I made chart and put all the kids names and leave spaces for them to check or put stickers.
This is displayed on the refrigerator in plain view for us all to see. You can be as creative with this as you like but I make it simple by letting them put a check with a pencil to indicate that they had met one of the requirements.
Then at the end of the week we count them all up and see who wins and have some kind of reward. You can also just decide before the game begins everyone who reaches a certain goal whether it be 8 to 10 checks a day will receive a reward at the end of the week.
I also have the rule that if you eat any sugary treats or drinks during the week you get a point deducted this really helps them with making better choices. I also make it easy for them by not having any of those temptations in our house during the week.
My boys are competitive and love games so this works really well in our house and is fun. My younger ones like the praise of telling them what a great job their doing and how big and strong they will be when eating their fruits and veggies. They all love to be praised and rewarded at any age so be creative and have fun! Please leave any comments about how this information has helped you. Thanks!
