Kids have a hard-wired need for power, and not listening is one of the most common ways they assert that power. No matter how reasonable the request you give a child, it is in their nature to resist.

This is common when it comes to making healthy choices. In their defense, they are still at an age where their body hasn’t caught up with them, and they haven’t experienced the impact of their wellness behaviors yet.

So, how can you engage them if they can’t fully comprehend the significance of good habits? To solve this problem, you need to get creative. It’s time to be on their level and consider what really appeals to them.

In this article, we will cover what you should avoid and some ways you can adjust your approach to be more effective in getting your kid(s) to make healthy choices. We recommend these considerations for children aged 13 and younger.

What Doesn’t Work

Whatever your approach is, do not pressure them to or “make them” engage in healthy behaviors. Forcing such activities upon any child will make them rebellious and may cause them to build resentment toward them.

Also, a common practice among parents is using dessert as a reward for eating nutritious food. For example, a parent tells their kid(s) they won’t get ice cream until they eat at least 10 pieces of broccoli. While it may be to work in the moment, it is not an effective long-term strategy.

What Can Work

Here are some techniques that can make a healthy lifestyle more participatory and allow them to feel empowered:

Being a Good Role Model

Leading by example is much better than showing by force. If you keep nourishing foods in the house for you to eat or your kids to see you consistently exercising, they will likely develop these interests on their own. Show them you enjoy your wellness habits, and they will follow.

Invite Them to Participate

Reflect on what you do throughout the day and see where there are opportunities to invite them to join your healthy routines. For instance, if you are cutting up orange slices for lunch and your child walks by, ask if they want to help. Or, if you are about to do a yoga session, ask if they want to join.

Improve Your Offerings

Provide more good choices and limit the bad ones. The best way to normalize eating healthy is to cook nutritious food for family meals and keep healthful snack options in your pantry. When it comes to physical activity, keeping workout equipment or sports objects around may encourage them to get active.

Appeal to Their Aspirations

For example, let’s say your child is really into basketball and dedicates a lot of time and energy to the sport. When discussing their goals, explain how high-level athletes need to eat well and train hard to succeed. When encouraging your kid to run, saying, “Having better stamina can improve your basketball performance,” presents a more exciting benefit than, “…having better heart health.”

Connect How They Eat with How They Feel

While young children still have loads of energy regardless of what they eat, they still can tell the difference between healthy energy and the crash-and-burn from three candy bars. After feeding them a healthy meal, ask them how energized they feel and keep hinting at it without going overboard.

The techniques in this article are supposed to yield results over time. If your kid(s) don’t make the best wellness decisions right now, they will not completely change overnight. Influencing healthy behaviors with a patient and causal approach will have a more substantial and lasting impact. It will allow them to grow into adulthood with great habits and a feeling of empowerment and ownership of their choices.

If you found this article to be helpful, visit southernconsumers.org to learn more about how the Southern Consumers Alliance can support you.