What are the best ways parents can promote health and wellness for their families? By setting a good example through healthy habits like building self-confidence in their children, creating good social skills, eating well and eating together as a family, and getting outdoors for physical activity. These can help improve your family wellness.

Create a well-balanced life

Some things in life are fixed – our genes for example, or where we were born. These are things we have no control over. Many other things are up to us and depend on the choices we make, and the paths we select in life.

This is particularly true when it comes to the health and family wellness of our children. We all want the best outcome for them, and that is most likely to come from making educated, conscious choices. We want to teach our children positive habits in every aspect of life, from how they engage with other people, to how they look after their physical and mental health.

For many of us, family wellness is a central goal. Here are some tips that will help your family develop healthy habits.

• Set a good example: Children are very observant – it is sometimes surprising to discover how much they notice. This means it is very important to behave in the way you are asking them to behave. If you practice healthy habits and ensure that you look after your mental and physical health, it’s more likely they will too.
• Live a positive life. Family wellness includes creating self-confidence in your children, helping them look for the good in life and allowing them to be who they are. Never compare your children with each other or with other children. This will damage their self-confidence. Listen to their opinions and explain your points of view and your decisions patiently. Encourage their talents instead of highlighting their failures. Encourage them to learn from their mistakes.
• Create good social skills. Children need good social skills in order to get along with the people in their lives. These are skills like learning to share, cooperating, good manners, and understanding personal space. Social skills are an important part of your child’s development because they enable your child to make friends, fit into society and develop better mental health. One of the best ways to teach your child social skills is through setting an example. If you say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and talk to others with respect, your child is likely to copy your behaviour.
• Eat well and eat together. There are many benefits of eating together. Firstly, a prepared regular meal means your child is less likely to eat unhealthy food, and secondly, mealtime becomes a chance to strengthen family bonds – a win for both physical and mental wellness.
• Get outdoors. If you want your kids to be physically active, you will need to set the example. Make weekends a time for outdoor activities rather than for computer games and binge-watching TV. Not every child enjoys sport, but outdoor activities with the whole family doesn’t have to feel like a gym class. Spend a day in a park with a picnic, go for a fun hike or spend time at the beach. It’s easy for your kids to stay physically healthy if they do something enjoyable.

Practice the tips above to improve your family wellness.