Lunch and Learn for Middle School Children
Last week I spoke at my sons’ middle school during a lunch and learn. The program is designed to educate students on different positive topics during this vital time in their life. Middle School children are growing and their bodies are changing every day. I spoke to 6th-8th graders over their lunch period about 5 important nutrition/health habits and 5 good rules for high self-esteem. I would like to share what I presented with all of you.
Nutrition and Health Habits
- Water – children and adults should drink ½ their bodyweight in ounces of water per day. If your child weighs 100 lbs., they should drink 50 ounces of water per day. Teaching your child this at a young age will help instill this important habit.
- Sleep – Make sure your teenager is getting enough sleep. Teens need an average of 8-10 hours per night to help their changing and growing bodies. Sleep is vital for their education and physical performance.
- Eat a healthy breakfast – After a good night’s sleep, children must fuel their bodies to keep their metabolism going and to keep them mentally and physically strong. A nutritious breakfast has been proven to help teens with their concentration, perform better on tests, and assists in maintaining a healthy weight.
- Exercise – All children should get 60 minutes of exercise per day. The key to keeping kids exercising is to make it enjoyable. Help them find a hobby or sport they like to do and which pushes them physically. Expose them to a range of physical activities like swimming, dance, karate, or gymnastics. They’re bound to find something they enjoy.
- Don’t buy into Ads – These young people love to admire many advertisements they see on television, the internet or in a magazine. I warned the students I spoke with last week, that not all ads are what they seem. Gatorade is not a necessity when you play sports, even though the famous sports stars try to tell us it is. We talked about reading labels and knowing what you put in your body. If you cannot pronounce more than 4 of the ingredients, you should probably not eat it.
Building Self Esteem for Teens
- Know the difference between self-acceptance and self-improvement. I spoke with the students about accepting themselves and realizing each of us is different. We need to be happy with who we are but at the same time we can identify areas where we can be better. It is normal to want to improve in certain areas of our lives (i.e. grades, health, sports, friendships, kindness, etc.…) but this doesn’t mean we need to get down on ourselves if we aren’t the same as someone else.
- You will fail and it’s okay. We talked about how we all fail. We will all make mistakes in our life! Often children are afraid of messing up or they think things should be perfect the first time. This is not how the real-world works. Our failures will make us better in the long run only if we choose to use them as a learning opportunity.
- Surrounding themselves with a good group. Friends and confidants are so important. Teenagers need people they can trust to tell their feelings and frustrations. I encouraged the students to find a good group they can rely on who help push to make them a better person!
- Take care of your Body. Teens will often try to “fit in” by doing or trying things they know are not right. I reminded the students that we only have one body and we need to take care of it.
- Find some good in yourself every day! It is hard to acknowledge the good in ourselves as adults, but it’s even harder as teenagers who are constantly questioning everything. I asked the students to write down three good things about themselves each day. I know they may not find the time to do this, but as parents, we can help by making this a routine and helping our teens know there is good in them even on days that seem so bad.
I really enjoyed talking with the students last week. I hope it will impact their life in a positive way and hope this blog will help you navigate through these difficult parenting years as well.
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