Have you ever felt punished as a child when asked to take afternoon naps or siesta? Well, I have, too! As an adult, have you ever felt guilty about taking afternoon naps or siesta during the weekends instead of finishing some work to ease up the load for the coming week? Well, I have, too… until I realized how self-care in the form of sleep is important for my well-being.

Raising kids who know the value of self-care is easier said than done, especially because self-care is not something they should only know, but something that they should practice. Believe it or not, school-aged children get tired, stressed, or burnt out because of the mountain of academic and extra-curricular load in school, along with the tasks they have at home, if there are any. Take it from me who has been an educator for over a decade now!

Parents have this all-important task of building their kids’ strong foundation on self-care as early as now, so kids will grow into adults with healthy self-care habits. Here’s how to start them young!

Establish strong hygiene habits
School tasks can easily pile up from the floor to the ceiling, and when that happens, taking care of the self takes the back seat. Even taking a bath is put on hold until before bedtime! Kids should learn best how to be clean and hygienic not from their Science classes, but in the confines of their own homes.

Plot taking baths in the morning and make it more fun by providing mild soaps with fruity scents! Follow through by making sure their ears, nose, and nails are clean before having them proceed with their tasks for the day. Reinforce the importance of personal hygiene by asking them to wash their hands, keep themselves clean, and take another bath, if need be, during the day.

Introduce healthy plates as early as you can
Whether we admit it or not, we tend to introduce healthier plates when the kids get sick. This shouldn’t be the case! Every day is an opportunity to prepare healthy and balanced meals so it becomes part of their systems. Remind your kids that the right food intake matters and it is a very simple yet crucial way of taking care of themselves.

Walk and/or run with them
Mornings and afternoons when the sun is not so harsh are the best times to bond with your children through walking or running. They might be spending too much time inside the home due to online classes and homeschooling or the whole day in school due to face-to-face classes, so take them out for some active fun at the park or just around your subdivision for their much-deserved break! Their bodies will benefit from the movements, plus they will be able to breathe some fresh air, too!

Train them to tidy up
To take care of your surroundings is to take care of yourself, too. Teach your kids this not by nagging them to make their beds as soon as they wake up, but by the little, more doable tasks they can do at their age. Maybe you can start by asking them to put their toys back where they got them or placing their school supplies in their respective places so they know where to get them when needed. These little things will form habits of cleaning and tidying up that will extend to keeping bigger spaces, such as their own rooms and homes, neat and organized as well later on.

Encourage them to keep a gratitude list
What are you grateful for today? Invite your kids to look closer into the events of the day and ask them to jot down in a notebook or journal what they are thankful for. This will help them look at the brighter side of the day and not focus on events and emotions that weighed them down. Make them look back and reread their entries periodically so this intentional practice of seeing the good and having an attitude of gratitude easily becomes natural to them.

Provide materials for coloring and painting
Let your kids color their emotions away! A kit of crayons, oil pastel, watercolor, or poster paint with their respective papers will allow your kids to choose their medium when they have strong emotions to express. Although perhaps common, this activity will give them an emotional outlet when they feel overwhelmed or they can’t quite put their emotions into words. Here’s the bonus part: you’ll have a collection of artworks in no time!

Plot a no-schedule day
Now, we come full circle to the age-old siesta. Naps or sleeps during the day will remind the kids that days don’t necessarily have to be packed to be meaningful. Self-care can come in the form of a free day where kids can opt to relax, watch their favorite show, or choose an activity where they can let themselves loose (within your rules or boundaries). In other words, no homework, no research, and no responsibilities! The no-schedule day will make them feel that just being is one healthy way of living!