Keeping kids safe and healthy is an essential part of every parent’s life. Part of that involves ensuring that their child’s development goes smoothly. How a child grows and develops impacts every part of their body, including their physical, mental, and emotional state. In this article, we’ll highlight some of the best ways to promote healthy growth and development in kids.
Factors Affecting Child Growth and Development
There are many different variables that can affect how your child grows and develops as they age. Some of these things are out of your control, but many of them are things that you can focus on to help your child mature in the healthiest way. Here are a few ways to promote healthy growth and development in your child:
Nutrition - A major part of a child’s development depends on the food they eat. Food is an incredibly important part of all of our lives, but children have specific nutritional needs during their early years as they continue to grow. Eating a balanced diet made up of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, grains, and dairy ensures that kids get the vitamins and minerals they need in order for their bodies to properly develop. It also helps to prevent obesity and limit the risk of developing other chronic conditions later on in life.
On average, only about 50% of children between the ages of 5 and 18 consume adequate amounts of daily recommended food groups. Teaching children healthy eating practices from an early age will not only help them healthfully grow and develop during their early years, but it will also increase the likelihood that they will carry those habits into adulthood and make healthy choices throughout their lives.
Exercise - Another aspect that impacts how children grow and develop is how much they exercise. Exercise is an integral part of how children’s bodies mature, as it helps to strengthen bones and muscles, boosts their immune systems to fight off any illnesses or diseases, reduces anxiety and depression, controls weight, and limits the risk of developing other health conditions.
It’s recommended that children between the ages of 6 and 17 should get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. Getting enough exercise has positive effects on how children perform in school, and can be even more beneficial if children spend part of the time outside where they absorb vitamin D from the sun.
Socialization - Socializing with other people is also a crucial part of a child’s development. It helps them to learn, understand, communicate, and interact with others. These experiences help children pick up norms, values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. If children don’t spend time with others their age early on, then they may not develop certain social skills that they will need throughout their lives. One of the ways to encourage socialization is by ensuring your child meets many different people in many different settings. This includes at school, on sports teams, in extracurricular classes or lessons, at camps, and at afterschool programs and clubs.
At the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Delta, we do whatever it takes to build great futures. We aim to serve the children in our communities, especially by keeping them safe and healthy while promoting respect and equality. One of the ways we do this is through our afterschool programs, which provide a safe place for all children where they have access to homework help, fitness activities, workforce development, literacy activities, and more.
Each of our programs and clubs provides kids with a safe place to play, learn, exercise, and receive nutritious foods. Find out how you can get involved with our organization by signing your child up for a club or afterschool program, making a donation, or volunteering to help our cause today!