5 tips for building healthy habits for kids

Try these tips to help your kids develop healthy habits they will stick to as adults. 

1. Eat fruit and vegetables

• We should all aim to eat 5 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit daily for good health. Eating fruit and vegies throughout the day is the simplest way to reach the recommended number of serves. 
• Planting some vegies or herbs at home for kids to pick and pack in the lunch box is a great way to encourage kids to eat them.
• Be a positive role model and eat fruit and veg in front of your kids. It will make them more likely to eat and enjoy fruit and veg too.

2. Pack a healthy lunch box

• Children spend one third of their day at school, so their lunch box should include one third of their nutrient needs. The lunch box is a tool for setting up healthy eating habits for life, so it is essential to think about all the foods packed in the lunch box. 
• Include at least two serves of vegetables in the lunch box, for example, add some salad to a wrap or roll for lunch and pack some carrot sticks as a snack.
• Include a serve of fruit in the lunch box – pack an apple, mandarin or some cut-up fruit.
• Kids need protein at lunchtime, so include lean meat, canned salmon or tuna, egg, beans, lentils, chickpeas or tofu.
• Don’t try too much at once – make one change and let your child get used to it before introducing other new items in the lunch box.
• Try new foods at home before packing in the lunch box.
• For small appetites or younger children, pack smaller serves, cut sandwiches into quarters and chop fruit.
• Try our Healthy Lunch Box builder  with your kids to plan a lunch box they will enjoy.

3. Enjoy healthy snacks

• Children need healthy snacks between main meals because they have small stomachs and require small amounts of food more frequently than adults.
• Snack time is a great time to include fruit and vegies, such as cherry tomatoes, celery sticks with cream cheese and sultanas , or salad vegies on crispbread (new snack link).
• Serve fruit and veg in different ways: chop fruit in small pieces; serve raw vegie sticks with hummus or a yoghurt-based dip; pack salad for lunch; or add fruit and veg to baked goods such as muffins or pikelets.
• Check out our healthy snack ideas.

4. Limit unhealthy foods

• It is ok to say “no” to requests for junk food, such as lollies, chocolate, cakes, sweet biscuits, chips and juice poppers, in the lunch box. These foods are high in fat, sugar and salt. Eating too many of these foods leads to being overweight or obese. They also replace the healthy options kids need to learn and play at school. Try these healthy swaps.

5. Limit screen time

• Aim for at least an hour of physical activity and no more than 2 hours of screen time daily. Two to five-year-olds should have less than 1 hour of screen time daily.
• Its fun to enjoy exercise as a family.

For more information about how much exercise you should do see the Australian exercise guidelines.

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Some images on this site have been supplied by Cancer Council Western Australia's Crunch & Sip website