While proper dental care and healthy eating habits are often instilled in children from a young age, other important health habits are overlooked. Posture is vital for someone to look and feel great. If your children have poor posture, they could be setting themselves on a course for issues later in their lives. Here are four tips to encourage better posture in your children.
Lead By Example
As a parent, your children are likely to imitate you, even in ways you might not realize. If you’re walking around slouching, your children aren’t going to feel encouraged to stand up straight themselves. Just a general slouch can carry plenty of consequences not only for yourself but also for your children, who won’t be able to help copy your behaviors, especially at a young age.
Tell Them About Why They Need Good Posture
Your children won’t want to stand up straight just because you told them to. In their minds, they don’t feel any pain in their backs and will, therefore, believe their spines aren’t in any jeopardy. Explain to them simply how good posture is important for ensuring that they’ll be healthy. You can relate it to brushing their teeth. Good posture doesn't require extra time or accessories. If they catch themselves slouching, they can simply tighten their abdominal muscles.
Keep Them Accountable
The importance of good posture will only sink in if you make sure your children are constantly aware of it. You could make it a family game to help remind each other to stand up straight. One way to promote positive communication is by teaching methods to remind each other in a positive manner. It’s a great opportunity to involve the family as a whole and help everyone work towards better health.
Talk To Professionals
To get a full understanding of how posture will benefit your children and yourself, you should talk to an expert. They can explain to you the exact steps needed for good posture and the consequences of prolonged slouching. You can also bring your child in so they can get a firsthand understanding.
We hope this has given you a good idea of how to encourage better posture in your children. You can give them a great example to follow and help them in the future. When they are confident and standing tall, they’ll know who to thank.