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4 Ways to Reward Kids for Healthy Habits
Instilling healthy habits in your kids at a young age can prove instrumental in their development. Consistent actions such as eating healthy, drinking enough water and staying active help children learn responsibility and accountability.
As a parent, though, you may have found that you’re having a tough time getting those habits to stick. In many cases, positive behavior in your kids can be cultivated through positive reinforcement.
But we’re not talking about indulgent rewards like TV, junk food or video games – instead, here are four great ways to reward your kids for healthy habits.
Spend Extra Time with Your Child
Whether it’s an additional ten minutes of reading time at night, a trip to the park or playing a favorite game together, using quality time to reward your child for healthy habits can be a powerful motivator. Spending quality time like this not only encourages your child to maintain their positive behavior, but it also helps create stronger social bonds between the two of you.
Give Your Child a Special Experience
As a way to instill long-term practices of healthy habits in your child, consider giving them a special experience after they hit a certain milestone. This can include a trip to the amusement park, a visit to a favorite restaurant or a weekend-long vacation to a new city. Having a big experience to look forward to helps ensure your child consistently practices their healthy habits.
Reward Your Child with a ‘Healthy Habit’ Allowance
Every time you child successfully demonstrates positive healthy behavior, you can give them a financial reward in the form of an allowance. This gives kids a tangible, practical incentive to practice good habits, and can also teach them the value of financial responsibility.
Praise and Celebrate Healthy Habits
Positive reinforcement – such as verbal praise and celebration – is one of the most effective ways for kids to consistently practice healthy habits. Saying things like, “You’ve been doing a great job eating all your vegetables!” or “Way to choose water over soda!” makes your child feel like they’re doing something right, and encourages them to continue the habits.
Remember: Encouraging your child to drink more water is important. If water is the only drink in sight, then your child is more likely to request it. Since you can’t always be near your child when they’re thirsty, consider installing an Absopure water cooler in your home – the nozzle is about the height of a 4-year-old, making it easy for little ones to access and self-serve! You can try Absopure Home Delivery free for 30 days here.
How do you reward your kids for practicing healthy habits? Share your methods in the comments!
