How To Look After Your Children’s Health During The Summer

As a parent, the school summer holidays can often be a challenging time. Although your children are likely thrilled at the idea of having no school for a month and a half, there is the issue of what you can do to keep them entertained during this time. As well as this, it’s likely that you will worry that your child’s routine or healthy habits are going to be neglected in place of the TV, junk food and long lie-ins.

The summer holidays are a time where, as a family, you can enjoy and experience fun new things together, but it’s always important to keep an eye on your child’s health and wellbeing during this time. With that in mind, here are some ideas as to how you can ensure your kids stay healthy this summer.

Watch What They Eat

As your child is still growing, it is hugely important that they are getting the right balance of nutrients. It is suggested that children should have a diet which is rich in vitamin A, C, D, iron, calcium and omega-3. But, as we all know, telling children to stop eating junk food is one of many losing battles, so the best thing you can do is to offer them a healthier alternative which tastes just as good.

If you are worried about their vitamin and nutrient intake, then different health supplements, including fish oil capsules and chewable vitamins are one of the best ways you can ensure they are getting enough. There are now tasty, chewable forms of high strength fish oil so that kids can’t complain of a fishy taste.

Make Sure They Are Staying Active

Research suggests that kids need around an hour of physical activity each day. Whilst this may not seem like much, but it is important that you try to keep your children as active as you can during the summer break. There are likely to be plenty of different sports clubs in your area which are running summer sessions for your children to take part in and meet new people, but you could also take inspiration from the summer for some fun activities. Use Wimbledon as inspiration to start playing tennis, or find an outdoor pool and go for a swim.

Keep Children Safe In The Sun

We all need sunlight as it provides us with Vitamin D which we need to stay healthy and maintain our mood levels. Children need it especially as it helps them to maintain strong muscles and bones and is vital for their development and growth. Sunlight prompts our bodies to start releasing the serotonin hormone, meaning that your children are likely to be happier when they are outside. But, of course, you shouldn’t let your child play unprotected in the sun, as this can lead to sunburn or sunstroke. It is vital that they wear sunscreen of SPF30 or more, which needs to be reapplied every hour or so.

Keep Brains Busy

The summer holidays mean that children are spending six weeks without any form of education. In some instance, this is a good thing and with the pressure of the school year over, they deserve a rest. However, just because they are no longer in school doesn’t mean that they have to stop learning. There is far more to school than maths and science, so look for ways that you can keep their minds sharp over the holidays. Books can be enjoyed in the garden on a nice day, a trip to the zoo can be a chance to learn about some new animals or play some board games which encourage them to think outside of the box. There are plenty of opportunities for you to encourage your child to learn over the summer holidays.