Parenting Tips » Good Habits For Kids

Good habits for kids and young adults

1. Sleep hygiene

What does this mean? Go to bed at a certain time, and wake up at a certain time, every single day. In the case of children, this means going bed early, and waking up early. A good routine is going to bed at 9 pm. and waking up around 6. Once you find out what is your child’s best sleeping time, stick to it even during weekends. Children need a lot of sleep. For information on how much sleep a child needs, go here.

2. A small prayer
On waking up in the morning, teach you child to say a small, one-sentence prayer. ‘God, thank you for this beautiful day’. This can be done in any religion- just adapt it to suit your religion. This should be done sitting on the bed, eyes opened, and taking a minute of meditative style sitting. This starts the day on a spiritual, positive note.

3. Make your bed
Teach your child to make his or her bed starting at even 3 or 4 years old. Your children will thank you when they get older, for this one habit. Making the bed is an affirmative action that gives beautiful results – a well-made bed is a pleasure to see. And at night you can go to bed straight, on a tidy, clean bed.

4. Brushing and flossing
Brushing is compulsory in most homes, but flossing is not. When the child is around 7 or 8, flossing can be trained. For dental health, flossing is absolutely important. Occasionally, ask the child to rinse his mouth with a mouthwash.

5. Drink water
After brushing, drink a glass of water, if possible two glasses. This is also one habit your children will be thankful to you when they get older. One or two glasses of water, or unsweetened juice or milk can give the necessary momentum for bowel movements, and it is important that they have bowel movements every single day, more preferably in the morning before school.

6. Give a body bath
A body bath in a cold climate, and a whole body bath in a hot climate refreshes the body, and gets it ready for school and learning. It cleans away the sweat and clears whatever sleepiness is left. It is important that each child has his own bath towel, and also important that they take bath by themselves at least by the age of 5. Occasionally the mother or father can help, but let them learn it by trial and error.

7. Wearing school uniforms
This, again, when the child is small, is the mother’s job, but gradually, as the child get older, should be done by him/her. How to wear socks and shoes, should be taught to them, at a young age, and then leave it to them to do. If the girl’s hair is scruffy or frizzy, you can use a bit of Vaseline or hair spray, whichever you think is good for the hair. Hair combing will have to be done by the mother for quite a few years, till they are old enough to do it. Whatever you do, made sure your children are wearing neat, tidy uniforms, clean socks and shoes, have a neat and tidy hairstyle and a clean face and hands.

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