A Few Ways to Celebrate National Child Health Day!

On October 1, we celebrate National Child Health Day and honor our commitment to improving the wellbeing of children across the nation. Healthy living can be achieved through fitness, healthy diet, and involvement in programs that support a healthy mind, body, and spirit.

We recommend working as a family to find activities that engage and nurture your child! Here are 3 ways you and your family can celebrate National Child Health Day:

1. Get Active: According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children should have 1 or more hours of physical activity a day. Go for a walk or find an activity at the YMCA that is both age-appropriate and interesting for your child, such as swimming or basketball.

2. Limit Screen Time: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents limit screen time for children to 1-2 hours a day. It is also important to manage the types of media your child is exposed to. An educational alternative is reading with your child. Reading allows children to improve upon their language skills while developing their imagination! Check out this list of “The Best Books to Read With Your Kids” from Parenting magazine.

3. Get Cooking: Involving your child in the meal prep process will help them develop healthy eating skills! Planning out a grocery list or preparing food together as a family will get your child excited to try new, healthy foods. Here are a few easy and kid-friendly recipes!

Whether it is going for a walk or making a healthy snack, we hope you and your family find ways to promote children’s health every day of the year!

Share how you celebrated National Child Health Day on social media by using the hashtag #ChildHealthDay and #YMCA!