School will reopen in stages starting 3rd October 2021, are you and your children ready?
The Covid-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of looking after our health and this is no different for our children. Even in the midst of the pandemic, children need to engage in physical activity, eat healthily to support their growth, have better mental health and maintain a strong healthy body.
Tips to encourage An-Hour-A-Day of physical exercise
Keep children active and busy is essential, as physical activity is important for children’s health and well-being.
It is recommended for children to take part in 60 minutes of physical activity a day. Simply break the 60 minutes into different times throughout the day, such as:
- 5 blocks of 10 minutes
- 4 blocks of 15 minutes
- 1 block of 30 minutes and 2 blocks of 15 minutes
Besides that, there are many other things you can do with your children at home to make them active and have fun, including making them helping with house chores such as cleaning, cooking, drying and collecting washed clothes.
These activity breaks and keeping the children busy are great for burning excess energy, which helps to support their body health, reduce challenging behaviour, manage emotions, and refocus the mind when learning.
Tips for Healthy Eating
Children need healthy and nutritious meals to grow and develop. A healthy diet is even more important to them right now, to ensure strong immunity and fight off infections. Generally, the following can help:
Consume a variety of food (poultry, fish, eggs, milk, dairy products, vegetables, fruits).
- This will ensure your child eats sufficient amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and fats to provide energy for activity, growth and development.
- Having five portions of 2 fruits and 3 vegetables a day and eating food with lots of colors can ensure intake of a variety of vitamins, minerals and important phytonutrients.
Keep a check on overeating and comfort eating, especially sugar, fried foods, potato chips and ultra-processed junk foods.
- These foods are usually high in sugar, fat, and sodium.
Opt for healthier cooking ways to prepare meals whenever possible.
- For example, consider baking, grilling, stir-frying, blanching and steaming rather than deep frying.
Limit snacking just before mealtime, and practice regular mealtimes at home.
- Otherwise, it may curb appetite.
Consider child nutritional supplements that are catered for kids when necessary.
- Especially for children who are nutritionally lacking, they may benefit from taking supplements and help them catching up on growth. Choosing quality supplements that contains vitamins and minerals, essential macronutrients and micronutrients, and probiotics may be beneficial to them.
