You want your family to be healthy, and you want your children to make healthy habits with them when they move out. However, forcing things on children often makes them run in the opposite direction. Instead of being forceful in your efforts, try the following ideas to help promote healthy habits.

Mind Your Meals

One of the healthiest things you can do for your family is to skip the drive-thru and highly processed meals. There’s nothing wrong with pizza night or having some frozen food backups for really busy days. However, eating like that most of the week can be very unhealthy.

Aim to cook most of the week, even if they’re quick meals. And eat together as a family as often as possible. This step alone can improve their health and your family bond.

Keep Healthy Snacks in View

When your kids want a snack, they’ll typically go for the first thing they see. If it’s a bowl of chips sitting on your kitchen counter, that’s what they’ll grab. If it’s a bowl of fruit that they like, they’ll typically grab it instead.

So be careful about where you place snacks. Keep the unhealthy stuff in your pantry so that it’s out of sight. Place healthy snacks on the counter and in the front of the refrigerator.

Enjoy Some Family Activities

Get outdoors with your kids to play ball, hit the park, or go for a walk. Play hide and seek, go on scavenger hunts, ride bicycles – anything you can think of to take advantage of the outdoors. You can also play physical indoor games, like Twister.

Provide Exercise Items

You know that old quote, “If you build it, they will come?” That’s especially true with children. If they see something to climb or play on, it’s hard to resist – even for older kids.

Some common things to have in your yard are trampolines, basketball goals, soccer goals, and every kind of ball you can think of to kick around and throw. Kids love such items and you’ll often find them playing on them without any motivation from you.

Other ideas are to provide outdoor gym equipment, like TriActiveUSA products. You can get things like balance beams, park equipment, parallel bars, and more.

Lead By Example

Don’t forget that kids remember what they see much better than what they’re told. If you want them to live a healthy lifestyle, the best thing you can do is live a healthy one, too. They’ll naturally begin to mimic you, even if you think they don’t notice.