Ways to Fight Childhood Obesity

Obesity is a serious condition that can affect anyone, but it has become more rampant in children within the last few years. According to the Center for Disease Control, nearly 18% of children and teens in the United States are considered obese, a number that has almost tripled since 1980.

Childhood obesity is not something to be overlooked. It’s not a phase that kids will grow out of. It’s a serious issue that if not taken control of early, can abbreviate the child’s life, taking away years from their adulthood.

As a result of obesity, children can develop type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, respiratory problems, and more. While every child’s genetic makeup is different where some can lend to certain bodily issues, no child should have to suffer obesity.

There are many things that you can do as a parent. There is no one right way for each child, but knowing your child and getting to know their activities is a great place to start.

Take an interest in their diet and activity levels. What do they eat while they’re away from home, such as their school lunch? Do they get exercise at school as part of their daily routine? Even if these habits are good, take it one step further and find a way to integrate healthy habits into more areas of their life.

You are an example to your child, so one of the best ways to help them have a healthy diet and activity level is to have those areas of your life healthy as well. The best way to encourage a child to do something is to do it yourself.

For more information, statistics and tips, visit the Center for Disease Control at cdc.gov. When you help yourself, you ultimately help your child better their life as well.

Summertime Games

Over the summer, it’s easy for kids to start getting bored. Boredom sets in and before you can take a deep breath, you are disturbed by the sound of mischief, whining, and possibly tears of restlessness. While there’s no such thing as a completely smooth summer experience with kids in the house, you can take away a lot of the unnecessary snags by playing games and involving your kids in stimulating activities. They not only keep boredom at bay, but keep your home a little less chaotic.

Just because there are no oceans in Ohio doesn’t mean there is a lack of summer fun to be had by kids of all ages. It’s important to do activities as a family, not forgetting the fun factor. If you can even slip a bit of education in with the games, you automatically win.

You already know what kinds of things your child likes. Are they fanatic about zoo animals, cars, or Disney characters? Take an inventory of what they like and then let your creativity go to work. If you’re so inclined to create your own games, do that. If you need a little help from the creative geniuses who came before you, Pinterest is a great place to start.

Search Pinterest for games involving elements your child likes. If your child is an only child, invite neighborhood kids to play these games with them so everyone gets more interaction with those in their age group, which is a vital part of social development. 

For more research, read into some parenting magazines. Searching their websites for activities and games geared toward your child’s age group and interests will show you possibilities you didn’t know existed.

Be sure that you are enjoying the activities and games with your child. They are looking to you for approval and guidance. When they see you are having a good time, they will automatically have more fun. Also, when you know they are having fun, you will experience more enjoyment yourself. 

Strategies to Help Your Child Develop a Strong Foundation for Reading

Reading is a vital skill to help any child develop into a productive adult. Knowing how to read is one thing, but teaching your child to read, or even guiding them in that direction is a completely different feat. However, it’s not so hard if you know what steps to take.

First off, it’s important to answer your child’s questions. No matter their age, if they are asking what a sign says, what the words on the TV are, or even what license plates say, make sure you tell them. Once they know, their brains go to work on figuring out how this letter means that sound.

Reading Rockets, an organization dedicated to launching young readers shares a few steps to helping your child read better, faster.

First, talk to your child about things going on around them. Don’t speak to them in “baby talk” or they will grow to think that’s the way to speak. Their intellectual level will rise to the standard you set, meaning the way you speak to them.

Read to your child for 30 minutes per day. Not only does this help them understand words and sentence structure, but it sparks ideas and dreams within them in a way that only stories can do. Sound out words slow enough to allow them to soak in the sounds of the words.

Sing songs and read poems that are repetitive in sound. Everyone picks up on repetition, especially children. This will help them understand more, quicker.

Be a good reader yourself. Since your child looks to you for who they need to become, if you practice the habit of reading, so will they. If you want to strengthen your reading skills, practice is the best exercise. When you get better, so does your child.

Use your library. Libraries often have organized story time, which gives your child the chance to learn from others, as well as interact with kids their own age, all while learning more about words.

Reading can be fun for your child, but not without your help. With you, your child will learn and develop into a strong reader and smart adult.

How Much Should Your Child Sleep in the Summer? Is Staying Up Late a Good Idea?

School’s out. Sun’s out. Are your kids out? With the summer in full swing, the sun and warm wind can be inviting to your kids. They want to stay awake and cram as much play as possible into the day, especially when the sun is still up. But is it taking a toll on your child’s sleep habits?

Many parents, especially working parents need to wake their children early in order to get them to a childcare center and home child care provider, or camp. After a long day of playing, this can throw the child’s sleep schedule into a tailspin.

It is recommended by many sleep experts that kids get what is considered to be enough sleep in order to support their growing bodies and expanding mental capacities. According to the Sleep Foundation, newborns 0-3 months of age need 14-17 hours per day; infants 4-11 months of age need 12-15 hours; toddlers 1-2 years of age, 11-14 hours; preschoolers 3-5 years of age need 8-9 hours, while children 6-13 years of age, 7-8 hours per night; and teenagers 14 + need 7-11 hours of sleep per night.

While these hours are not always spent in one sleep session, it’s important to understand the effect that missing even 30-60 minutes of sleep can take on someone whose body and mind is still developing at warp speeds. Instead of dozing off and yawning all day like a drowsy adult does, a child who is sleep-deprived will act hyper and show symptoms of what may look like attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). This can lead to parents and pediatricians possibly mistaking those symptoms, ultimately treating a disorder that’s not actually there.

Generations have believed that sleep can heal a multitude of ails, but the lack of it can play tricks on us. Make sure your child gets enough sleep so they can be the best version of themselves.