Help Kids Be Healthy and Happy

During Critical Learning Years, Here's How To Help

   Children have settled into a new school year. They are growing and building confidence and skills.  During these critical learning years, adults want to be sure they are doing everything they can to help their little ones become healthy happy learners. 

   A national study indicates that there are behaviors which help young children remain healthy.

Nutrition Routine

   Eat nutritious meals six or seven times per week with the family at a table.  Good nutrition gives children the very best chance for a healthy body and a mind ready for learning.

   A study at the University College of London has a warning.  It reported that young children cared for by grandparents a significant part of the week were much more likely to be 

overweight than their peers. They are served more fatty and sugary foods and sometimes a diet of fast food and takeout meals.  Check the government recommendations at choosemyplace.gov. for guidelines about amounts and types of nutritious meals and snacks. The site suggests attractive snack fruits and vegetables and water for drinks rather than colas and sugary juices. 

Good Nutrition Starts With Routine

Monitoring Technology

  The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that children under 2 years of age should experience no screen time.  Read to them. Other child health organizations advise that 1-2 hours per day should be the maximum limit for screens of any kind.  Unfortunately, many children watch in excess of 4 hours a day.  Too much screen time has been linked to obesity, irregular sleep and behavior problems. Some experts have found that violence in movies and games can lead to an acceptance of this kind of behavior in real life and spills into school and family behavior. Excessive watching means less time for exercise and imaginative play.

   Here are some suggestions from child psychologists:  Set a good example.  Eliminate background TV noise. Turn off the TV at mealtime. Talk and eat at the table. Plan which shows and how much time children may watch.  Keep technology out of the bedroom. Especially for preschoolers, parents might want to watch shows together and talk about the content. Does it meet family standards? 

Best Homework Is Done With Media Off

Best homework is done with the media off. In general, work can be finished before media time. Computers are part of life, and can be a source of discovery and learning or a source of danger. Children using a computer need to be supervised and the computer placed in a public space. Find out ways to block sites and information that you feel are inappropriate for your student. Ask yourself what is computer time replacing? Family time? Outdoor exercise? Doing a good job with homework? Reading? Helping around the house? Extracurricular activities? 

For more ideas see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; wnmufm.org/LearningThroughtheSeasons live and podcasts; Pinterest, and Facebook.

Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

Good Discipline is Teaching

"Discipline" Means Impart Knowledge, Skill, Setting Limits - Teaching

According to child psychologists, age appropriate good discipline is used to prevent future behavioral problems in children. The word “discipline” means imparting knowledge, skill,  teaching, and setting limits. Bad discipline, including no teaching develops children who are mean to others including siblings, do dangerous or disruptive things, and revolt as they grow.   Preschool children should be able to follow simple rules, respond to commands, have self -control to wait for things they want, and deal with frustration from not getting their own way. 

  There are many reasons for misbehavior: jealousy, a feeling they are not getting enough positive attention, frustration, stress, hunger, lack of sleep. When children misbehave, they usually get a lot of attention even though it is negative.

  Pediatricians recommend avoid yelling, hitting (spanking) or getting too worked up during episodes. These increase negative attention and reinforce that it is right to get out of control and be aggressive. 

Catch Kids Being Good

It is easier to reward and praise good behavior, to reinforce it, rather than having to change bad behavior. To promote good behavior, doctors suggest families might spend special attention time with children as often as possible.  Be very clear about expectations for children. State rules in clear and simple terms, apply reasonable consequences for 

Praise and Reward Good Behavior

misbehavior as soon as possible after the incident, make consequences brief, be consistent with your rules, and learn to ignore minor or unimportant behaviors.

   Let children know when you are happy that they are being good or have accomplished something. Avoiding power struggles by giving several simple choices, plan ahead and set up rules and expectations. Do not disciple when you are out of control.

  Some strategies that may work to improve children’s behavior include: Kindly with a soft voice allow children to see the natural consequences of actions (if they throw and break a toy, then they can't play with it); Logical consequences (if they don’t put toys away, then toys will be put away for a time);  Withholding privileges (find things that your children enjoy, playing a game, renting movies, and take them away);  A reasonable time out (one minute for every year); Age appropriate reward or token systems can also be effective for a short time in changing bad behaviors.

Count to Fifty

  When your children misbehave or are disruptive, you can remove yourself and ignore, a technique called extinction.  Walk away and breathe deeply from the stomach. 

Sometimes Just Remove Yourself - Count to 50

The approach may work for temper tantrums at home and frequent whining, or other disruptive type behaviors. Be firm, consistent, calm, kind, use a normal volume, and be loving.  Hug and talk about appropriate behavior when you are both calm.  It’s only the behaviors you don’t like, not the children. The health department has classes in your area. See grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons, live and podcasts.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos