- Help kids to find enjoyable ways to eat better and move more.
- Encourage them to make decisions. Ask: what behaviors would you like to change?
- Make healthy food easily accessible.
- Put activity props around the house—foam balls by the TV, balance ball by the computer, a jump rope and hula hoop on the porch.
- Get a cookbook with healthy recipes and let your child pick the recipes they would like to make with you.
- Help them find an activity they like: walking, yoga, Zumba, skating, bowling.
- Help
children find situations where they feel successful and confident:
volunteering, art, gardening, getting a neighborhood job like caring
for pets or washing cars, etc.
- Stay relaxed and don’t obsess about everything they do or don’t do!
- Work on your own body image issues.
- Don’t make negative comments about anyone’s body—yours, theirs or the person on TV.
- Notice all of the good things about your child. Don’t focus on body size. It’s only one aspect of who they are.
