What Our Kids Really NEED From Us
Hey there, I am so glad you've joined me here in my little corner of the online world. If you follow me on my socials, I have been talking about the basic foundational needs that our children need for their over all physical, emotional and mental well being. If you haven't yet seen any of the posts you can join my private group and join in the conversation, I would love to hear from you. I don't want to just duplicate what I have been posting, so instead I want to address each of the foundational needs that our kids have, and offer tips to help your family either implement, or just improve on an aspect of this.
Sleep So lets start with sleep. I found this chart somewhat helpful so I didn't have to calculate the time my kids needed to be in bed by, according to the amount of hours sleep they need. I know that enough sleep is crucial for my children's moods and over all compliance in the day. So basically, if my kids sleep, parenting is going to be easier. Here are my tips for getting kids to go to bed on time:
Have a sticker chart for sensible bedtimes. Depending on the age, this may include not getting out of bed, not talking, etc
No tech 2 hours before bed
Have dinner at least 1 hour before bed, preferably 1.5 hours
Night time cuddles
Story time
Relaxing music playing
Connecting with my kids before bed can also help them go to sleep. If they need to get anything off their chest, if they are upset or stressed about something, talking it through can help them settle quicker.
Food A nourishing diet will help kids be at their best. Food affects so much of our life, our moods, our physical health and our mental state. I am a big advocate for home made foods, and I have prioritized this over the years. often having some baked goods available for afternoon tea, over the packaged foods. And at dinner, choosing to make foods from scratch rather then a jar because I wanted to avoid the unnecessary sugars and chemicals added. Here are my tips for adding some health into your kids diet:
Choose wholefoods over processed foods
Add more fruit and veggies to meal times
Cut up veggie sticks for afternoon tea
For picky eaters, start a sticker chart for when they try foods
Choose full fat foods over 'lite' foods
Look at the back of foods, try and pick foods with less ingredients. The more ingredients, the more processed it is, and the more additives it has.
Exercise Active kids, are happy kids! Exercise has benefits for our kids' physical bodies as they grow their muscles, heart and lungs. But there is also a clear benefit for them mentally. A recent statistic I read about the ADHD brain, is that 30 minutes of exercise is like taking Ritalin. Now that is amazing. Kids suffer from stress, anxiety and depression as well. Exercise can help alleviate those symptoms through releasing feel good hormones. Now how do we get kids to be more outdoorsy and active?
Here are some ideas:
Role model good exercise habits
Go on family active adventures
Sign up for a team sport, dance or gymnastics
Encourage bike riding instead of driving
Incorporate language around the importance of active time in every day life
This is obviously not a research paper, and there are so many more things I could add. If you would like any of these covered in depth, or have any questions, please email me at nina@ninagordoncoaching.com. I am here to serve YOU, so let me know how I can do that better! If you start making some changes for your kids in any of these areas, hop onto the Facebook Group and share. I would love to hear from you. Nina x
