Promote healthy habits your kids can follow for years to come.

Success in life comes from picking up good habits early on. Do you want to help give your child a leg up but aren’t sure where to start? There are dozens of things you can do as a parent right now that will help transform your child into a successful, well-rounded adult.

Here are 7 things you can do to set your kids up for a successful life.

1. Get involved in your kids’ education.

What are your kids studying in school right now? If you aren’t sure, now is an excellent time to ask them.

Your child’s education does not stop at the end of the school day. As their parent, it’s your job to make sure your kids are getting everything they can out of their education, and the best way to do that is by taking an active interest in it.

Take time every day to ask your children about what they’re studying, what they’re struggling with, and if they’ve learned anything they find particularly interesting. Help instill good studying and work habits by setting a few ground rules around homework and try to make yourself available to help guide them if they’re struggling.

While you should attend any in-person parent-teacher conferences that come up, you may also want to make a habit of regularly calling or emailing your child’s teacher. This will help you keep tabs on any subjects your child may be struggling with and any special opportunities that could benefit them.

2. Make them do chores.

Chores aren’t just a tried and true way to teach your children the value of hard work; they can also help teach your kids about what it means to contribute to society. While the debate over whether or not you should pay your kids for doing chores is still ongoing, there are a few tips for giving your kids chores that most experts can agree on:

• Don’t give your children any tasks that may be too difficult for them.
• Teach your children how to do their chores by helping them with the task a few times before letting them do it on their own.
• If your child doesn’t do their chores on time, try to avoid doing it for them or have a fitting punishment in place, such as no screen time for the rest of the night.

3. Praise your kids properly.

As important as it is to scold your children when they do something wrong, it’s equally as important to praise them for a job well done. That said, when it comes to celebrating your child’s triumphs, it’s essential that you make sure you’re praising them the right way. When praising your student, you must emphasize effort over skill or talent. For example, if your child wins an art competition, congratulate them by emphasizing how hard they worked on their piece rather than calling them talented.

Focusing on a child’s talent can imply that the amount of work they put into something had nothing to do with the quality of the finished product. And worse than that, by chalking success up to inherent talent, future losses could seem unavoidable rather than like something they can overcome. But by praising them for their work ethic, you can help ensure they learn the value of working toward achievements.

4. Get them around their peers.

One of the most important things you can teach your children is how to communicate with other people effectively. And the most reliable way to do that is by socializing them. When it comes to socializing your kids, it’s hard to beat team sports and after-school clubs. Participating in group activities with other children in their age group forces kids to learn how to share their thoughts and opinions and work with others in a safe and fun environment.

That said, forcing your student onto their school’s soccer team may not be the most effective way to foster good communication skills. Talking with your children to identify their interests and finding groups that match those interests will help you find an activity your child will want to participate in while showing them you’re interested in the things they like to do.

5. Let your kids fail.

Your kids are going to mess up every so often. While it may be tempting to pull your child out of whatever trouble they may get into, you must let them fail and live with the consequences of that failure. Failure is a part of life. If your children don’t learn how to cope with and overcome failure early on, they’ll struggle with obstacles later in life. Children who don’t learn how to deal with the consequences of their actions early in life will also struggle with personal responsibility down the road.

6. Teach them healthy habits.

Sure, a little dessert now and then and the occasional lazy day can be good for the soul, but indulging too often can lead to your kids picking up lifelong bad habits. Teaching your children about the importance of regular exercise and a healthy diet early will help ensure they carry these good habits throughout the rest of their lives.

By teaching your kids about the importance of getting enough sleep, practicing good hygiene, and other healthy habits, you can help instill in them a sense of personal responsibility for their health and well-being. When you’re teaching your kids about healthy habits, make sure to take the time to go over good dental hygiene practices and the importance of visiting your dentist regularly.

7. Show, don’t tell.

Finally, one of the best things you can do to set your student up for a successful life is to act as a role model. It’s one thing to tell your children what they should be doing; it’s another to personify the traits you want them to pick up. Kids and teens spend a lot of time observing how their parents and guardians navigate the world. Then, they use those observations to form lifelong habits and opinions. So, be extra mindful of the way you behave in front of your children, no matter how old they are.

Set your child up for a successful life.

In short, the best way to set your child up for a successful life is by simply taking an active interest in them. If you support your child’s interests, give them room to fail, and lead by example, they’ll grow up with all of the tools they need to take on whatever the world may throw their way.

And if you need a little help getting them squared away in the oral hygiene department, we’ve got you covered. Contact us for more information about our services or to schedule an appointment for your child today.