For kids, summer time is all about playing outside and eating summertime treats. But for parents, summer time means keeping an even more watchful eye on our kid’s health, eating and sleep habits.
Especially in the summer when kids want to be outdoors all day, parents need to find creative ways to keep their kids health in check. This includes feeding them healthy on-the-go foods and sneaking in an early bedtime. It’s not always easy to do but here are some easy tips for getting the job done without too many complaints!
- Put Them To Bed Before 9 PM.
An early bedtime might seem like a fight parents always lose, but here’s why you should stick to your guns when it comes to bedtime before 9 PM.
First, despite the contradiction, children who are put to sleep earlier actually fall asleep faster! Although you might think putting your kids to bed later when they are more tired is effective, the opposite is true! According to a study published in Sleep Medicine, children who go to bed later have a harder time falling asleep. The study showed that kids who go to bed before 9 pm end up getting 78 more minutes of sleep than those who go to bed later.
They are also less likely to wake up in the middle of the night. Second, good sleep habits assist with the development of growth hormones. According to pediatrician Marc Weissbluth, “When a child sleeps is probably as important or maybe more important as how much.” This is because a child’s growth depends on the secretion of a hormone called “human growth hormone.” Human growth hormone secretion peaks at 10 pm, midnight and 2 am but it does not work properly unless your child is sleeping! So putting your kids to bed at 10 pm won’t do it. They need to be in full REM sleep by then.
Lastly, good sleep habits help your child become more productive during the day, which means more opportunity to learn in school! According to research, children who get more rest at night have a higher attention span and perform better in school. Here are some tips for getting your kids to go to sleep earlier:
- Make a point to go to bed early themselves. Your kids may have a harder time falling asleep if they hear you watching television or making noise in the other room. Going to bed earlier will benefit parents, too! You’ll likely also have a more productive day tomorrow and be more patient with your kids.
- Have your child turn off their electronic devices two hours before bed. Research shows this type of “unplugging” helps you fall asleep faster. It’s easy to develop this ritual in the summer months while it’s warm outside. Then by the colder months, your kids will already be in the habit of turning off devices two hours prior to bed.
- Develop a bedtime routine. When your kids were little, you may have developed a routine with them at night. But somehow as they get older, we seem to lose sight of that. Bring back the bedtime ritual by reading his or her favorite book together or even doing some light stretching and meditation.
- Ask Them To Drink One Healthy Beverage Per Day.
Getting your kids to slow down long enough to eat a healthy meal in the summer is hard. Chances are the only nutrition they get is in between running around outside! So make it easy on them by making them one nutritious beverage per day. This can be breakfast in the car on the way to school or an afternoon smoothie on the way to swimming practice.
This is also a great opportunity to show your kids how to make a heavy smoothie or beverage for the future. For a great anytime smoothie recipe, give this a try:
- One cup almond milk
- One frozen banana
- One cup of spinach or other greens
- ½ cup of pineapple, mango, apples or grapes
- 1 scoop of Super Kids Vibrance
- Play Games!
Did you know that some board games may be able to boost kid’s brain power? Experts say that playing board games with your kids helps them develop several skills that help them in school.
The family bonding time also helps them as well! Experts say that board and card games help kids learn how to focus and pay attention, which is a much needed skill to do well in school! Board and card games teach kids responsibility (when handling money), number and color associations, and sharpens memory and pattern recognition. Playing together as a family gives kids the much needed closeness they need as a family unit to be successful in life.
Putting down the electronics and pulling out the board game two hours before bedtime is a great way to tackle two birds with one stone!
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