1) How do I ensure a good daily routine for my child?
Children learn through repetition and observing the elders in the house. Plan your child’s day such that following conditions are met.
- The child gets enough time to complete morning chores of brushing teeth, having breakfast and also gets time to complete the bowel movement in the morning. This is very important to have a good start to the day. When they do not wake up in time, all these things suffer when in a rush.
- While at home, plan activities for each day. Ensure you keep variety. Take inputs on what the child enjoys and adjust the activities accordingly.
- Avoid unplanned time where the child is likely to gravitate to the screen. We want to keep screen time to as less as 30 minutes per day.
- Have reasonably fixed timings for meals and snacks. Allot 30 min for meals and 20 minutes for snacks. Encourage the child to self feed.
- Plan some simple house chores each day. Do these consistently with the child so as to help them become independent.
- Plan a fixed night schedule and a fixed sleep time for the child ensuring adequate sleep.
2) How to ensure my child gets enough nutrition?
Plan the weekly menu with your child’s help. Involve the child in shopping for groceries and helping you in the kitchen. Ensure every meal has a lot of vegetables. Use whole grains such as brown rice and unpolished millets. Use unpolished dals and whole sprouts. Include plant seeds and nuts in the child’s diet. Ensure the child has fruit atleast 1-2 times daily. Plan the fruit as a snack or give at the beginning of a meal.
3) How to ensure my child studies well.
Plan the daily schedule such that the child has a fixed time to do home work and self study. You will have to sit together with a small child and study together. Use this opportunity to teach the child the technique of study. You only will need to supervise an older child and not sit with them all the time. But remember this is possible only when the child has a habit of sitting to study daily.
Discuss the day with your child and ask them what they liked most about the day. What went well and what did not go well. What portion was covered etc.
Try to plan activities and outings which complement the portion the child is studying. Eg. If the child is learning about a certain era in history, try to visit museums and places which will give more information about that era.
You as parents need to model good behavior and the child will automatically follow suit.
4) How to ensure my child stays fit?
Plan a sports activity into your child’s schedule daily. Atleast 60 minutes of vigorous physical activity daily is very important. This will make your child’s mind and body both strong and resilient.
Ensure child has a balanced nutritious diet and adequate sleep. Avoid processed and packaged foods which are loaded with preservatives and are not good for the growing body of your child.
5) How do I ensure my child stays happy?
Children thrive and flourish when given the correct nurture. Alongwith the above, plan your day such that you are able to give adequate time to the child. Discuss a variety of topics with the child. Make sure the child is heard. Don’t worry about keeping the child happy all the time. Let them feel a variety of emotions. Help them identify these emotions and learn to cope with them effectively. Let them be bored for sometime and let them feel sadness or anger too. Help them understand that emotion and express it better. This will be helpful to them all through their lives.