The last quarter of the year is jam-packed full of holidays and fun, seasonal activities. It’s a cozy and exciting time of year, but with all of the excitement of the season, it is easy to fall off the rails. After all of the work that you put in setting up routines and structure for your family, it’s a shame to see that effort sidelined while you’re on the home stretch.

Here are a few parenting tips to help you maintain your focus so that your family feels happy and healthy as we move into the new year.

Nourish Their Bodies
When the holiday season rolls around, so too do the holiday treats! You know exactly what I’m talking about. Most families have traditional foods, sweet and savory, that they look forward to this time of year. And chances are a healthy green salad doesn’t make the list. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t bake the cake your granny used to make, or pass on your favorite stuffing recipe to your kids. These nostalgic foods are often tied to traditions and feelings that bring your family together. However, it’s important to balance the snacks and cakes with a generally healthy diet. After all, you and your children will feel better through the end of the year if you’re receiving proper nutrition.

Keep Their Bodies Moving
As the sun begins to set earlier in the day, and the temperatures drop signaling the beginning of winter, it’s harder and harder for your children to get all their wiggles out playing in the yard. As in adults, exercise does more than burn calories and promote your children’s physical fitness. It also has a number of mental health benefits including stress reduction. It’s easy for all of us, young and old, to let exercise fall to the wayside during the last portion of the year, but your kids will feel mentally and physically better and perform better in school if they move their bodies daily.

Ensure They Get Their Z’s
When the previous two items on this list aren’t kept in check, good restorative sleep can be very hard to come by. Getting plenty of rest at night not only improves your child’s temperament, but it can also determine how well they do in school, and whether or not they grow at the developmentally appropriate rate. It’s easy for busy schedules and holiday parties to steal precious sleep time from your kids, so as you move into this last portion of the year, set healthy sleep habits for the whole family as a top priority.

As they say, this is the most wonderful time of the year. Extra time spent with family and friends, delicious home-cooked meals, and fun seasonal activities can sometimes get us a little carried away. We must not forget the importance of prioritizing a healthy family life during this season. For more parenting tips from our family to yours, contact us today.