Halloween is a time to dress up in costume and stock up on candy. There is no wonder, children just love this time of year! Halloween can be frustrating for parents who do not want to send mixed messages by letting their children go crazy trick or treating.
Schools recognize that healthy children are better learners. Healthy, active, and well-nourished children are much more likely to go to school, are more prepared and motivated to learn and more likely to graduate high school and go on to university or college. Schools work with students, their families, and their community to provide strategies, activities, and services in a coordinated and planned way in order to ensure that children eat and stay healthy and fit.
No matter how well teachers are able to teach, no matter what good measures are put in place and no matter what governing regulations are established in schools, educational progress will be profoundly limited if students are not motivated and able to learn. Health-related problems play a major role in limiting the motivation and ability to learn and interventions to
address those problems can improve the outcome.
Healthier students are undoubtedly better learners. Recent research provides strong evidence for the causal role that educationally relevant health disparities play in the educational
achievement gap that plagues urban minority youth. This is why reducing these health differences is a fundamental part of school reform.
Support your school’s efforts by taking these 10 steps to a having healthier Halloween.
1. Focus on having fun:
Shift the attention away from the candy and onto the costume that your child is wearing. Maybe hold a contest for the best costume in your community centre or suggest is to the teacher. From Scariest to Cutest to Funniest, each kid be a winner. Make the grand prize a fun activity like jump ropes, kick-balls and any other activity.
2. Trick or Toy
Research shows that when given the option of a Halloween toy or Halloween candy, most children opt for the toy nearly almost all the time. This is good news for weary parents and children who think Halloween cant exist without the treats. Holiday themed stickers, pencils or erasers and other small toys and temporary make great treats and gifts for kids who love and enjoy Halloween.
3. Treat Kids to a Healthier Halloween
Give away the healthy snacks, which include sunflower seeds, popcorn or whole-wheat crackers, instead of the usual candies and chocolates that loaded with sugar. If you want to stick with something sweet, try dried fruit, prepackaged squeezable applesauce or even banana chips will work.
4. Swap Calories for Coupons:
Instead of consuming the calories, you can encourage your children to take coupons. Giving away coupons to your local bowling alley, ice skating rink, batting cage or Chuck n Cheese is a fun way to encourage your family to get together and be a bit more active/
5. Add Physical Activity to your Halloween plans:
Trick-or-Treat in a new neighborhood. Choose a safe neighborhood about a mile from your house. Walk there and back. That, along with trick-or-treating, will help burn extra calories.Additionally, encourage your kids to focus on having fun and being active with their friends rather than competing over going to the most houses and getting the most candy.
6. Feed kids before you go:
Be sure to have a healthy, fulfilling dinner before you celebrate Halloween. This will make certain that you and your children aren’t starving and will cut down on how much you will munch on, while you are trick-or-treating. Better yet, make it a rule that the kids can’t eat any candy until it’s been fully inspected at home.
7. Chew gum while trick or treating:
If your kids want to munch on their goods between houses, limit them to chewing gum, which will keep their mouths happy and occupied for a long period of time for just a few calories.
8. Limit the Snacks:
When the kids come home from trick-or-treating, let them select and save their favorite treats and allow them to eat one or two a day. That’s all! Have yourself throw away the less desirable candy out. Don’t consider it to be wasteful, after all its loaded with sugar, high in calories, and low in nutrients. Maybe, replace the bad candy, with nutritious ones.
9. Be Charitable:
So now your youngsters have poured out their pumpkin-basket of goodies and are gloating over their bounty. Believe it or not, they are probably willing to give some of it away. Besides donating to your church, synagogue, or homeless shelters, there are various non-profit organizations that will collect the extra candy for the troops overseas. Even if your children choose to give just one or two away, they are learning the joy of being charitable. Check out the Switch Witch” tradition – cool idea.
10. Be a Good Role Model:
Kids will copy what their parents do, and that includes eating. Make sure you set a good example by not overindulging in the Halloween candy yourself. Practice mindful eating strategies. If you are going to eat a piece of candy, connect to your senses and look, feel, smell, and taste the candy rather than gobbling on it quickly. You may just be satisfied with 1 candy.
Leave a Reply