Ready, set…let’s get healthy! Encouraging healthy habits can be simple and fun. Children love to run, jump, and play, and you can help channel their natural energy into activities that keep them fit and strong.
#1 Get Moving
Children need about 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Try breaking this up into several 10- to 15-minute daily play sessions. A little movement really adds up!
#2 Get Moving
Make reading active by taking cues from stories: Is a character running? You and your child can run in place. Are children in the story dancing? Dance along, too!
#3 Get Moving
If rain is keeping you indoors, get moving by playing some favorite music and doing a sunny jig to chase the clouds away. Or, BE the weather—swirl like the wind, or stomp and clap like thunder.
#4 Get Moving
Explore the great outdoors! Take a family hike around the neighborhood, or a nature walk through the park.
#5 Foods to Grow On
Together, plan a meal that includes at least three different colors, like red peppers, black beans, and brown rice. At mealtime, call out colors for your child to munch on.
#6 Foods to Grow On
Involve your child in grocery shopping. Help her make her own shopping list and ask her to hunt for each item.
#7 Foods to Grow On
Challenge your child to try a new food at mealtime. Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, or low-fat dairy products.
#8 Foods to Grow On
Explore “anytime” and “sometime” foods. Explain to your child that fruits and vegetables are “anytime” foods. They are so good for you that you can eat them every day. Foods like cookies, chips, and soda are called “sometime” foods because they are high in sugar, fat, or salt and should only be eaten once in a while.”
– Sesame Street’s Healthy Habits
You can also check out Sesame Street’s Toolkit and Featured Activities here!
