Today’s guest post comes from Craig Steinfeld, MPH, who has focused his professional career on helping others achieve healthy lives at work and at home. He also happens to be my brother, and is my go-to for everything health-related.
Growing up in Houston, summer was about two things: 1. Heat! 2. Freedom! As a kid, I always wanted to somehow reenact the summer that the kids in The Sandlot had, which involved hanging out at the pool, playing baseball with friends, and generally enjoying the shenanigans of being a youth. It seemed like they had it all! As parents, having the added responsibilities of entertaining children for an entire summer AND keeping them healthy pose a unique set of challenges.
Here are some easy wins to consider for your children, to keep them happy and healthy this Summer:
- Set clear parameters around TV and device time by requiring outdoor play time along with it. In our device-obsessed age, it is easier than ever to hand over an iPad to distract our kids indefinitely. It’s a nice luxury to have, but guidelines are important. Remember your youth (simpler times, I know) when you actually went outside and played? Kids are happy and healthy when involved in activities that keep their bodies phycially busy, even if it means coming home with shoes full of mud.
- Substitute soda with fruit infused water. They’re visually pleasing, which makes them more appealing to kids, and the natural infusion of fruits added to water and “steeped” for a few hours has tasty health effects. For a full list of ideas, check out this list of 14 Beautiful Fruit Infused Waters. Try combination of fruits that your kids love! Then try adding refreshing mint to your favorite fruit infused water, which naturally has a cooling effect on the body.
- Schedule regular play dates with neighbors and friends. You will get to know other parents in the neighborhood better and your children will continue to work on their social skills, even when they are not in school. One of the most underrated aspects of health is our social relationships. Studies show that the stronger the social connections we have, the healthier lives we will live.
- Enroll your child in a new sport or activity that they would never get to learn in school. Let’s face it: school is usually about the grades, not always about learning the activities where we can truly display our passion and creativity. Ask your child, “what’s something that you have not learned in school, but would love to learn more about?” Is it swimming, piano, or learning a new language? Something totally different? By taking on something new and outside of their ordinary scope, their minds will be armed with new experience and knowledge, and they’ll have a blast in the process.
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