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Ways to cultivate healthier habits in kids

This article is more than 12 months old

Here are some recommendations by NurtureSG to foster healthier habits in the young:

ACTIVE AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

  • Enhance requirements for outdoor physical activities in preschools to cultivate young children's interests in physical activities and prevent early onset of myopia
  • Double minimum daily time for physical activities for full-day programmes to an hour a day, of which 30 minutes is to be conducted outdoors
  • More opportunities for students to be engaged in unstructured play beyond the formal curriculum time
  • Engage Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) students as in-house instructors to conduct activities like adventure-based classes for fellow students to encourage higher interest and take-up in physical activities
  • Structure physical activity sessions beyond Physical Education lessons for students in mainstream schools
  • Develop a resource package for parents so that they can access important information on how to help their children towards healthier living
  • Involve parents in their children's physical activity programmes
  • More family-themed activities and group aerobics fitness exercises in the community

HEALTHIER FOOD OPTIONS

  • All educational institutions to make healthier food options readily available and pervasive
  • Nutritional requirements in preschools to be enhanced, like prohibiting sugary drinks and deep-fried, preserved food
  • Canteens in IHLs to serve healthier meals by FY19

MENTAL WELL-BEING

  • Train students to look out for peers in distress and make timely referrals to adults or professionals for further support
  • Equip preschool educators with the knowledge and understanding of socio-emotional development in young children, and skills on building social-emotional competencies
  • Funding from Tote Board to support upstream programmes to build mental resilience among the young
  • Setting up an inter-agency research workgroup to study suicidal and self-harm behaviours in children and youth up to 35 years of age

SLEEP HEALTH

  • Raise public awareness of the importance and benefits of adequate and quality sleep, with sleep health recommendations
  • Strengthen sleep health messages and good practice

 

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