Healthy Habits
When practiced regularly, these are life enhancing:

• Get plenty of sleep at night, try to get about 9 to 12 hours each night.
  
• Exercise three to five times a week for at least 20 to 30 minutes.
  
• Review personal hygiene habits.
  
• Limit "screen time" such as television viewing, computer and handheld video games.
  
• Talk about alcohol, drugs and tobacco use. 
  

Nutrition
Good nutrition is essential to a growing body. Tips include:

• Eat 3 nutritious meals a day, breakfast is especially important. 
  
• Whether you eat at home or out, eat as a family as often as possible. 
  
• Limit high fat, high sugar foods and choose appropriate alternatives. 
  
• Drink milk or water instead of pop or juice. 
  
• Eat a variety of dairy, grains, fruits, vegetables and lean protein.
  
• Consider vitamin supplementation especially for Vitamin D.  
  

Safety  
Injury prevention is pro-active. Consider the following:

• Wear appropriate helmets and safety gear while biking, skating and rollerblading. 
  
• Use seatbelts and sit in the back seat, it's the safest.
  
• Take precautions to avoid sunburn and use at least SPF 15 sun block. 
  
• Provide safe after-school environment.  
  
• Review rules for being home alone. 
  
• Review swimming skills. 
  
• Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.  
  

Social
These are some behaviors that promote healthy interactions:

• Encourage discussions and expression of feelings.
  
• Create opportunities for family activities.
  
• Reinforce limits and provide consequences; encourage self-discipline.
  
• Teach respect for authority.
  
• Reinforce conflict resolution and how to handle anger.
  
• Participate in social activities, community groups and team sports.
  
• Learn to say "no" to peer requests you feel are inappropriate. 
  

Parenting
These activities provide good examples for modeling important skills and encourage growth in a healthy and happy way:

• Serve as a role model for ethical behavior and healthy habits.
  
• Clearly communicate rules and expectations
  
• Show respect and listen, make time every day to talk.
  
• Observe reading, television and computer choices for appropriate content.
  
• Know your child's friends and encourage good decisions about choosing their friends. 
  
• Discuss expectations for dress, friends, media, and activities and provide appropriate supervision.  
  

School 
Consider the following to encourage success at school:

• Emphasize the importance of school.
  
• Offer praise for positive efforts.
  
• Provide guidance and allow more responsibility for school work.
  
• Help with organization and setting priorities.
  
• Encourage reading and help find books or magazines that are interesting.  
  

Sexual Education
The onset of adolescence will bring questions and concerns:

• Youth go through the physical changes of puberty at different times, encourage discussions about puberty and sexuality.
  
• Read age-appropriate books together. 
  
• Share expectations and beliefs about sex and relationships.  
  

Dental Health
Health maintenance is essential to well-being:

• Brush teeth twice a day.
  
• Make sure fluoride intake is adequate.
  
• See the dentist regularly, every 6 months.  
  

Resources
The following items may be useful:

• American Academy of Pediatrics. Caring for Your School-Age Child, Ages 5 to 12.  Bantam Books, 1999.
  
• Clarke, Jean.  Self-Esteem:  A Family Affair.  Hazelden, 1998.
  
• Davis, Martha.  Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, 5th Edition, MJF Books, 2003.
  
• Faber, Adele. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen, and Listen So Kids Will Talk. Piccadilly Press, 2001.