Building Stronger Foundation:5 Corner Stones that Can Help Your Child Grow Stronger
February 4, 2015Building Stronger Foundation:5 Corner Stones that Can Help Your Child Grow Stronger
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Author: Austin Stanfel
In today’s hectic lifestyle, parents, especially mothers, hardly have any time to pay attention to their children’s specific needs. There are five critical aspects of healthy living that can contribute positively towards your child’s overall cognitive and physical development, but unfortunately, parents are not usually aware of them. Children’s enhanced brain development depends significantly on nutrition and healthy activities that can contribute to their future prosperity.
The 5 Corner Stones of Healthy Living
Nutrition
Nutrition is the key to a healthy life, and cereals and energy bars are not the answer to your child’s nutrition problems. Good nutrition comes from a healthy, age-appropriate diet. Research shows that more than 64% of American teens live on junk food and carbonated beverages, which is the leading cause of teen obesity. In addition, children also devour artificial sugar food items that are among the leading factors of chronic ailments.
Most parents are not aware of what to include in their children’s diet. Below is a chart for a nutritional diet for toddlers and preschoolers to help you understand what you can include in your child’s diet.
| Nutrient |
Recommended Daily Amount |
||
| 2 to 3 Years | 4 to 8 Years | 9 to 13 Years | |
| Calories | Around 1, 400 | Around 1, 800 (girls) Around 2, 000 (boys) |
Around 2, 200 (girls) Around 2, 600 (boys) |
| Fat | 30 to 40% of daily calories | 25 to 35% of daily calories | 25 to 35% of daily calories |
| Carbohydrates | 45 to 65% of daily calories | 45 to 65% of daily calories | 45 to 65% of daily calories |
| Protein | 5 to 20% of daily calories | 10 to 30% of daily calories | 10 to 30% of daily calories |
| Calcium | 500 milligrams | 800 milligrams | 1, 300 milligrams |
| Fiber | 19 grams | 25 grams | 26 grams (girls) 31 grams (boys) |
Good Sleep
Children need time to relax their minds before they can venture on to other energizing activities, and good sleep can help them recharge their minds for the next day. Research shows that children who get a proper 8-hour sleep every day are far more active mentally than the kids who stay up late.
Structured play
Structured play involves playground activities that include activities involving outdoor playground equipment or school playground equipment. According to a research study, preschoolers and toddlers need to get around 17-18 hours of structured play activities in a week.
Unstructured Play
Unstructured play activities are just as important as structured play activities. Unstructured play involves active play that is free from the game rules or restrictions; children can use their imagination to structure a play activity.
Stress-free environment
This is the most crucial aspect of healthy living. A Stressful environment can lead to various ailments that children sometimes can’t handle. The everyday mental strain leads to anxiety, which ultimately affects children’s overall academic performance. Promote a pleasant family environment to make sure that your child does not feel any kind of strain.
By adopting practices to ensure that your child has all the five cornerstones as a part of his life, you can pave the way for his enhanced physical health. So, start today and make a difference in your child’s life.