A FEW MORNING ROUTINE THAT CAN BE BENEFICIAL TO YOUR CHILD
Photo by Leo Rivas
Originally Posted On: https://livingwellkids.com/2020/04/18/a-few-morning-routine-that-can-be-beneficial-to-your-child/
Getting up early without being lazy.
Children have a lot of energy and they will mostly get up early. They also like limits and boundaries, so as you are the parent it is a good idea to set some rules. Mostly when Mum and Dad get up it is time for the child to get up too and to get on with their day.
Children naturally require a lot more sleep than adults, in order to grow and develop. So it is a good idea to set a definite bedtime, and unless there is a family occasion try to stick to it. Being lazy tends to come later on as they enter the teenage years, but not in childhood.
When children are going through a rapid growth period they may need more sleep.
From about age 5-6 children can be given some simple chores to do. They often like using the vacuum cleaner so plug it in and let them do some cleaning. They also need to get used to caring for the family pet, they can clean out the guinea pig straw or feed the dog. Older children can take the dog for a. walk. After the age of 8 they should be able to make their own bed, and often can make their school lunch. You usually find that children from larger families become independent a lot more quickly than one child families. Now that both parents work full time in most households, it is important that the children help with day to day chores and it is also a way of being together as a family before the school run.
Children can learn to do some simple meditation exercises to get them ready for the day. The child should lie down with their arms at the side and eyes closed and breathe deeply and slowly. This will help them to relax and prepare them for the learning activities of the school day. The deep breathing is important for relaxation also get the child to do it again when going to sleep at night.
Being physically active is really important for children, and there are a lot of things that they can do at home and other forms of exercise that are done at school. There is not a lot of time before school in the morning so most of the activities will be performed after school and on weekends. It has been proven that for the most effective way for a child to relax is exercise. This works by getting the adrenaline which is released, out of the system. The following exercises, aerobic, are good forms of exercise for children, walking, bike riding, jogging, soccer and football, tennis and netball are of benefit to the child and as a parent you could do some of it too. At school there are usually team sports and some exercises and the children can do various gym activities like jumping jacks. These exercises are often performed before school to warm up for the day. As some children are now becoming overweight this is a good way of burning up some excess calories. This type of activity will also help the children to be fit and alert and more able to problem solve. The other way for your child to keep fit is to attend an annual holiday camp often held in rural areas where organised activities such as walking in the bush, rowing boats and swimming are held, an older child really enjoys this type of group holiday. A lot of schools have regular surfing and swimming programs, and in some places children can learn lifesaving skills and become Junior Lifesavers.
An older child may enjoy some mind games like chess which is very strategic, many children become very good at it and soon beat their parents.
Younger children often like doing jigsaw puzzles and word quiz games. There are some board games that the whole family can play together and this should be encouraged when time permits. Another great thing for kids all though not a mind game, is leggo where building blocks fit together to make quite complex structures. It is not good for children to watch too much television, especially on a school day and parents must decide how much TV time to allow. Any movies or long programs should be kept for the weekend. Many children become very good at spelling and there are games that you can play to assist the spelling to develop. Another important way to assist your child’s English grammar skills is reading, and this will be encouraged at school. It is very important that the reading is also encouraged at home and the parent should start this by reading to the child every day from around two years of age.
Gymnasium assisted programs are very important for the preschool child to help with the ‘hand eye’ coordination development . Gymbaroo is a research based program designed to start with babies and to give them the best start in life. There are various programs for different ages all run by qualified trainers. It has been operating around the world for the last 40 years and is a unique program to develop the child’s potential. Parents can also be involved in the program while assisting their child, it is designed to develop and enhance brain function and development. Many later Olympians have been through this program as children.
Conclusion
There are hardly enough hours in the day for parents and children to fit in all these activities, however, we realize that most of them are extremely important activities and will assist our children in future learning. It is important that both Mum and Dad work together to achieve the best possible start for their children. Social life for the child is also important and as they make friends with others there are Birthday parties and other life events which will help to build their interaction with other kids and hopefully form lifelong friendships.
If you are a parent who wants to mentor your child or the child of the other parents for the children’s life success, you can also check Dr. Joe Rubino’s Self Esteem Coaching Program.