One, two, three, four… If you’ve ever danced, you’ll know the 8-count. At Kitty + Custard Club, we want to help parents and educators implement an easy-to-remember 8-count towards improving children’s health to combat the growing physical and mental health crisis among our kids here and abroad.
Look over each of these parts of the 8-count for children’s health to ask yourself how you’re implementing these core needs for developing children.
1. Music and Movement
Did you know that only 24% of children aged 6-17 get the recommended hour per day of physical activity? Regardless of what you feel is the driving factor for this inactivity, it’s so important for us to be aware of how widespread the issue is and how dire it is for us as adults to help the next generations get moving.
The effects of this physical inactivity, according to the CDC, are alarming:
Kids are consuming more energy than they’re using, leading to increased rates of obesity.
Kids suffer from higher risks of heart conditions, diabetes, glucose intolerance, and more.
Kids now have increased risks of developing cancers of the lungs, colon, breasts, and more.
Kids are experiencing lower bone density, which can cause osteoporosis.
Regimented, forced exercise can ruin healthy movement for anyone, no matter the age. It’s so important that we come up with real solutions!
TIP: At the Kitty + Custard Club, we believe that encouraging kids to move is so much easier when the movement is a by-product of the fun. Parents and educators can use music and dance as motivators to help kids move without realizing they’re exercising. You can also encourage a sports game, fun outdoor activities like hopscotch and jump rope, or simple games like tag and catch.
2. Nutrition
UNICEF reports recently found that at least one-third of children under the age of five (over 200 million children) either suffer from obesity or undernourishment. Further, they reported that almost two-thirds of kids from 6 months to 2 years old do not regularly consume the proper diet they need to grow at such a developmentally-essential period of their lives.
At Kitty + Custard Club, we urge parents and educators to be more mindful of how children eat. Are they drinking enough water? If not, do they have easy access to water sources? Are they getting a diverse diet of whole foods and limited access to fried foods and processed sugar?
TIP: If you’re finding it difficult to ensure your children eat properly, try planning meals in advance and only buying healthy ingredients. Prepare fruits and veggies as soon as you get home from the store so that they are as easy to grab and eat as less healthy snacks would be.
3. Goals
Beyond kids’ physical needs, it’s important to consider how their mental health is fairing and think of ways to improve your relationship and environment to best support them. Setting goals is one of the biggest issues that drive family dynamics and disfunction.
Everyone needs the motivation to get up in the morning, but that can look different for everyone. Adults usually feel more driven by financial necessities and career aspirations or taking care of home responsibilities. Children do not yet face adult reality, so they are more driven by immediate needs like socialization, play, and learning.
Being mindful of how you impose goals on your children is key to supporting their mental health and development. Don’t pressure them to make adult decisions, such as striving for university, at too early an age. Don’t set them against their peers in unhealthy competition. Instead, reinforce what’s most important: satisfaction of basic needs, happiness, and growth.
TIP: Set small goals for them, such as doing a small chore every day or making new friends, and stay positive and encouraging rather than shaming them for failures.
4. Eye contact
We often don’t think about our body language in our day-to-day life. Typically, we subconsciously tell others how we’re feeling through bodily posture, motions, and other nonverbal cues. A huge part of making connections with others is making eye contact, yet many people struggle to make and keep eye contact, especially when they’re feeling down.
Regularly not making eye contact with your kids can seriously affect your relationship. They won’t feel important to you, as they can’t seem to get your full attention or feel heard. This can lead to unwanted behaviors and negatively affect their health.
TIP: When your kids are trying to talk to you, remember to pause and look up from what you’re doing to look them in the eyes. Encourage them to make eye contact with you when you want their attention before you continue.
Improve Kids’ Health with the Kitty + Custard Club!
We’re passionate about making the world a better place for families, especially in the classroom. If you felt this article was helpful, you can jump to the next 4 important things that every child needs to thrive here: 8-Count: Things Every Child Needs to Thrive (Part 2).
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