Many of us started out 2022 with rockin’ resolutions! Whether your goals for the New Year are physical, intellectual, emotional and/or social, there is truly something special and exciting about the blank canvas of the next 365 days before us, all about to be filled in with the colorful, precious moments of living and loving to the fullest!
As we consider how our fresh canvas will look in the New Year, there is no denying the importance and power of caring for the mind, body and spirit so it can thrive! In the constant flow of the daily missions before us, movement is central in our everyday living. Further, purposeful movement has an undeniable impact on the whole being of not just our children but us as grown-ups too! From our quality of sleep and overall mood, to energy level and complete physical health, daily intentional movement is vital to supporting our whole selves.
But how can we as Proud Ninja Parents best support the health and wellness goals of our children in the New Year? Consider these tips to keep everyone in your family rockin’ through 2022:
1.) Be the role model your child needs you to be. Physical health and wellness starts at home Proud Ninja Parents! Each and every day, our children are watching and learning from us about how to take care of themselves physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially so they can formulate their own unique self-care regimen. Taking an active and present posture in your child’s health and wellness goals means taking a look first at your own patterns of health and wellness to see if what you are currently practicing is what you want to continue preaching.
- If there is something in your overall health and wellness upon self-reflection you wish to change, take it one step at a time! Narrowing down your goals to focusing on one healthy aspect of improvement at a time will go a long way towards creating consistent habits of success. If this is something that you need help and support in, please connect with one of our team members.
- As you begin to model your own practice of self-reflection and self-improvement in your health and wellness journey, talk with your child about what goals they too wish to work on! Consider creating a visual aid, like an accountability chart to help them along their journey.
- Rewards like choosing the next game for family game night after picking a healthy snack consistently for 5 days straight before bedtime will go a long way to help keep your child motivated in their pursuit of creating healthy habits in their own health and wellness walk! Need an accountability chart inspiration? Check this one out on Amazon: Magnetic Accountability Chart.
- Food for thought: How can you too use a version of the accountability chart above with rewards at certain check-in points to keep you motivated in your 2022 health and wellness goals?
2.) Keep it real and keep it simple! Incorporating intentional movement at home should never be a burden but rather a great opportunity for connection with your child! Consider introducing your SKILLZ Strong Ninja to a band you loved rockin’ out to when you were their age. Turn on an old favorite song and have a blast dancing around the whole kitchen as you prepare a delicious meal together. Allow your inner child to have fun with your kiddo!
- Another great movement connection can be through something like Cosmic Kids Yoga found on YouTube: Cosmic Kids Yoga ! Have your child select a special theme from the provided playlist that they can immerse their whole mind, body and spirit in alongside you as you both proactively practice the art of physical, mental and emotional exercise together.
3.) Balance rest and relaxation with the adventures of everyday life! The go-go-go of life can truly sneak up on us and take hold if we are not mindful and careful of all the happenings going on in any given week. Making supportive decisions that take into due consideration the overall health and wellbeing of the family is vital to everyone’s success.
- Taking the opportunity to schedule in downtime throughout the week, to reconnect, refocus and regroup is important. Maybe this looks like a bedtime story with your child every night or dinner all together on Friday nights followed by a special family movie. Whatever practice resonates most with your family to honor space and time together, to rest your mind, body and spirit throughout the week is the way to go! Remember, we cannot give on an empty cup.
It goes without saying that we are so excited for a fantastic, fun filled New Year! Our team of childhood development experts is here and ready to serve your family, to help support you all in your goals for 2022! If you find yourself in need of some specific tips to help nurture and guide your child in their aspirations for the New Year, please reach out to connect with one of our Pediatric Ninja Specialists. It takes a village to raise a child and we are so honored and blessed to be rockin’ alongside you all every step of the way!