As a parent, helping your children build the skills they need to lead happy, healthy lives in adulthood is your ultimate goal. You want the peace of mind that comes with knowing your
children can make smart choices in your absence.
By participating in programs from The Creature Teacher with your family, you can cultivate your children’s curiosity and foster a love of nature. Plus, here’s how to make sure your family stays
physically active, discourage unhealthy habits like caffeine dependence, and set an example of compassionate leadership.
Stay Active With Daily Walks
Toddlers love to run around and play – but as your children get older, it’s easy for your family to slip into more sedentary habits. To avoid this, commit to daily family walks for the sake of your children’s mental and physical health. If your own neighborhood is car-dependent, consider going for strolls in a neighborhood with a walk score of 70 or higher.
Demonstrate Strong Leadership
Making proactive decisions means taking ownership of your choices and assuming responsibility for their accounts. It’s a sign of maturity – and it’s an essential skill for leaders. Even if your child’s only experience with leadership so far involves working on group projects at school, it’s important to equip them with these capabilities at a young age.
When your child is faced with tough decisions, walk them through their options and help them weigh the pros and cons, and discuss how their choices might affect others. By considering the impacts on others in their decisions, your children will learn about integrity and leading by example.
Don’t Rely on Caffeine
Lots of adults need caffeine to get through the day – but if your children see you pouring mug after mug of coffee throughout the day, or taking afternoon espresso shots as a pick-me-up, they might pick up this detrimental habit when they get older. Focus on maintaining a healthy sleep routine rather than relying on caffeine, and warn your children about the negative effects of caffeine, including high blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety, and an increased heart rate.
Spend Time in Nature
Children are natural explorers, and if you want your children to hold on to this quality in adulthood, give them the chance to spend more time in nature. Getting in touch with the great outdoors will show your child the beauty of the natural world. Self recommends going on outings to local parks, hiking trails, lakes, or beaches.
Emphasize Lifelong Learning
Learning doesn’t have to stop when you’ve finished your classroom education – but if you stop pursuing your intellectual curiosities, your children might get the impression that learning has a deadline. To keep learning as an adult, Member Clicks recommends going to museums, practicing new skills at home like coding, reading, or even signing up for classes at local
community colleges or online.
Cut Back on Your Screen Time
In order to make more time for these activities with your children, you might have to make some sacrifices to free up room in your schedule. Cutting back on your screen time is one of the easiest ways to do this. To alleviate the urge to scroll during your downtime, ExpressVPN recommends shutting off your notifications, putting a timer on especially addictive apps, and avoiding using screens while eating.
Parenting means teaching your children to lead lives they’re proud of, even when they’re ready to move out and spread their wings. It’s not an easy task! But with these tips, you can pass on healthy habits like daily walks and prioritizing sleep over caffeine, as well as instill mature leadership skills.
Are your children curious about the animal kingdom? Turn to The Creature Teacher! Fill out our contact form today to learn more about our science education programs.
Photo via Unsplash
