What your kids should do differently this new year

It’s the New Year, and we are four days into 2020. It is a good time to pick up good habits, self development, improve and be a better part of ourselves. The kids definitely need this turnaround in their lives. They need to develop and improve their behaviours so they can become better adults.

Here are some tips and guidelines to help them this New Year:
Encourage Good Habits in Children: Parents can help their children develop healthy habits early in life. This will bring lifelong benefits. As a parent, you can encourage your children to learn good habits that may include good social skills, good manners and also help them evaluate some of their food choices and physical activity habits. It takes time to acquire a habit, so parents need to be patient with their children. Repeating a behavior or action on a daily basis will help your child inculcate it more promptly.

Be Realistic With Your Expectations: Encourage children to learn from their mistakes. Setting realistic goals and limits is key to adopting any new behavior. Small steps and gradual changes can make a big difference in your habits over time, so start small and build up. As parents, you have to realise that all children learn at their own pace.

Be a Role Model: One of the best ways to develop good habits for children is by setting a good example yourselves. Your child learns by watching your everyday behaviours and habits. Hence it becomes important for you to exhibit the best so that he imbibes the same.

Good Manners: It’s never too early to start finding good habits for children. Encourage your child to use phrases like Thank you, You’re Welcome and Excuse Me. Teaching them these phrases at a young age will help them make them a part of their lifestyle.

Encourage Reading Books: Reading out stories to your child from a book makes a significant difference. Good literature has an effective way of inspiring children to behave in a correct manner, to follow a code of discipline, and to maintain a positive outlook in life. A habit of reading will be great in the long run for your child’s intellect as well. Children do not like to hear what they cannot do, so tell them what they can do instead. Keep it fun and positive. Everyone likes to be praised for a job well done. Celebrate successes and help children and teens develop a positive self-image in the process.

Encourage Family Bonding: Family time is extremely important for a growing child. Plan times for everyone in the family to get moving together. Take walks, ride bikes, go swimming, garden or just play hide-and-seek outside. Everyone will benefit from the exercise and the time together.

Encourage Healthy Diet: Probably the most important aspect of growing up is to encourage your child to make healthy food choices. Your child will adopt good habits if they start early. Educate your child about the importance of having a nutritious diet and encourage them to read food labels. The whole family will learn what is good for their health and will be more conscious of what they eat. It’s a habit that helps change behaviour for a lifetime.

Reward Your Child: It is a great idea to reward your children for their good behaviour. This will keep them motivated and will help them maintain their best behaviour at all times. However, a key point to note here is to avoid rewarding your child with materialistic things like chocolates or an hour of TV.