Oral Hygiene: Children are like sponges, they absorb everything they see and hear. For that reason, a child of about 6 years old should be taught important skills to carry for a life time
It is important to teach children
to floss their teeth. Flossing daily,
after brushing, will not only promote your child’s oral health and prevent
cavities, it will also serve as a deterrent against bad breath and bone decay.
I strongly recommend ProNamel for Kids as it is formulated
to strengthen tooth enamel and protect your child's teeth from erosion and tooth decay. Also, remember to have a bottle of mouth wash
handy and encourage its use daily.
Exercise Routine: Teach your children healthy daily habits like
walking, running, cycling, or dancing.
Thanks to the Internet, it is easy to exercise at home by watching different
exercise and Zumba videos on YouTube.
A good way of
promoting your child’s exercising habits would be by negotiating television or
game playing time for exercise. For example, offer them 30-45 minutes of
riding, running, or dancing in exchange for time playing video or watching television.
Also, it is a good idea to have some kind of exercise equipment at home.
Nourishment: Educating children
on how to prepare healthy meals is
essential to their early development. Easy
to make meals, like cooking boiled or scrambled eggs; making toast or grilled
cheese sandwiches; preparing a salad or serving a bowl of cereal, are excellent
starting points.
Vocabulary: What an awesome thing it is to teach your child the use of a dictionary. I strongly recommend that parents keep a colorful dictionary handy and endeavor to teach their children one new word each day. Once the child has mastered the meaning, pronunciation and spelling of the word, have him/her formulate complete sentences. This lifetime skill will assist them in becoming better speakers, writers and editors, and will enable them to be more successful at any career of their choice.
Physical Hygiene: Teach your children the importance of daily
bathing and grooming. It is not only
important, but critical, for successful relationships. Show them that once they have finished
bathing, it is important to nourish the skin with moisturizers and sun
blocks. For older children, show them
the use of deodorant. Also, encourage
them to shampoo their hair at least once per week.
House Chores: Children need
to learn, from the time the start throwing toys and bottles on the floor, that
everything they throw down will need to be picked up, by them, and put back in
its proper place. Start in the bedroom
by showing them how to fix a bed, put shoes away, return toys to the toy chest
or shelves, and always place the dishes in the sink; or, in the dish washer.
Once they become accustomed to doing small chores, they will
be better prepared to take on bigger jobs like mopping and doing the laundry.
College Preparation: Encourage your children to think about what
career they wish to pursue when they grow up and what college or university
would be best for them. If you teach
them the value of higher education at an early age, it is very likely that they
will follow up on their education shortly after high school.
Lead by Example: Be the
leader of these traits and let your children follow. If they don’t see you doing any of the things
we have discussed, it is highly unlikely that they will want to follow your
encouragement and recommendations.
Last But Not Least: Command
respect and obedience from your children.
If your children disrespect you by yelling, hitting, biting, or throwing
objects at you – or at anyone else -- or by being disobedient, you must
immediately discourage the behavior by PUTTING THEM ON TIME OUT… yes! Ignoring bad behavior is completely
unacceptable and it will only get worse.
Take action, love and teach your children.
Remember that your children are
only yours for a little while. Once they
grow up they belong to the world.
