Why is it important for your child to maintain a healthy lifestyle?
Research shows children who achieve a healthy weight tend to be fitter, healthier, better able to learn, and are more self-confident.
At St Augustine's, we work alongside parents and carers to encourage and model healthy living - promoting physical activity and eating well.
This webpage provides additional information and resources to support you and your family to make healthy food choices and ideas for how to become more active.
Top tips to help your child to achieve a healthy weight
Being overweight has various long and short term health risks; it can increase anxiety and can contribute to self-esteem. It can also effect sleep and blood pressure.However, with changes to lifestyle, it is possible reduce these risks and encourage a better lifestyle for your family.
- Be a good role model.
- Encourage 60 minutes of physical activity a day - go for a walk, swim or play outdoors.
- Keep to child-sized portions.
- Eat healthy meals, drinks and snacks.
- Avoid sugary foods and remove temptation from the house.
- Limit television and screen time.
- Set a good sleep routine for your child.
- Take your children food shopping, teach them to make healthy decisions.
The Eatwell Guide
Through our Science, DT, PE, PSHE and RSE curriculums at St Augustine's, we provide children with knowledge about the food groups and the imapct of these on the human body.
See below for information and ideas for how you can support your child to start their day with a healthy breakfast and packed lunch suggestions.
Breakfast inspiration
Add some fresh or dried fruit to cereal, porridge or low fat, lower-sugar yoghurt.
Sprinkling over a handful of berries or chopped banana, or having some on the side, always makes for a tastier breakfast.
Try swapping a chocolate cereal for a shredded wholegrain cereal to cut the sugar intake.
Other food swap sugguestions and breakfast recipe ideas can be found on the Change 4 Life website, click on the image below.
For younger children, try playing around with fruit and vegetables and let children make their own pictures. This will encourage children to eat the recommended daily amount of fruit and vegetables in a fun way.
Lunch inspiration
School dinners offer a portion of veg or salad, plus a portion of fruit as well – a great way to get kids towards their 5 A Day.
If your child has a packed lunch, add crunch to sandwiches with cucumber, grated carrot or tomato. And always add a piece of fruit, some carrot sticks or cherry tomatoes to their lunchbox.
Click on the image below to explore lunchbox tips and recipe ideas from Change 4 Life.
There are many great cookbooks and recipe books that will give you a great range of new ideas. Joe Wicks has a new book called ' The Burpee Bears' which contains exercises for the family to do and also has lots of healthy recipes.
Useful websites
Why is it important to get moving as a family?
To meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guidance on physical activity, schools, parents and the sport sector must work together to ensure that children and young people have access to at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. As set out in the Childhood Obesity Plan, at least 30 minutes should take place in schools, and the remaining 30 outside the school day.
For younger chihldren it can be ball games, chasing games, riding a scooter, using playground swings, climbing framaes and see-saws.
For older children it could include riding a bike, skateboarding, walking to school, dancing and martial arts.
If your child isn't use to being active, encourage them to start slowly and build up to 60 minutes per day.
Research shows that physical activity can help school aged kids in lots of ways:
- Improves behaviour, self-confidence and social skills
- Improves attention levels and performance at school
- Develops co-ordination
- Strengthens muscles and bones
- Improves health and fitness
- Maintains healthy weight
- Helps them sleep better
- Improves mood and makes them feel good
Click on the image below to explore ideas from Change 4 Life -
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Active 60- What can you do at home ?
There are lots of great ways that you can help your child and yourself stay active and meet the required activity levels. Please clink on the links below to take you to a range of websites that promote activity.
The fun generator can be used following the web link or can be downloaded as an app on your smart phone or tablet.
What is on offer in the local area?
Warrington currently has lots of clubs that promote activity and general health and well-being. Please click on the pictures to find out more about each club.
Families online has lots of great ways to be active as a family.
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