Help your child eat well, sleep enough, and move every day
Eating well, every day
Kids eat the food they help make — and how you talk about food matters as much as what’s on the plate. Involve them early, and keep it about fuel, never weight.
“Hablar sobre hábitos saludables desde temprana edad. Empieza a hablarles de opciones saludables desde pequeños e involúcralos en la preparación y compra de los alimentos. Deja que elijan las frutas en la tienda, ayuden a lavar los vegetales o mezclar los ingredientes para unos panqueques saludables. Participar en la preparación de alimentos saludables aumentará su interés por comerlos.”
— Child Mind Institute, guía para imprimir (español)
“Make half of what is on your child’s plate fruits and vegetables. … Choose healthy sources of protein, such as lean meat, nuts, and eggs.”
— MedlinePlus (National Institutes of Health), Child Nutrition · Nutrición del niño
En español · ¿Cómo puedo fomentar en mi hijo hábitos básicos de bienestar?
In English · How do I build my child’s basic wellness habits?
One episode from Positive Parenting, Thriving Kids by the Child Mind Institute, funded by the State of California — it covers sleep, food, and exercise together, filmed separately in Spanish and in English.
Free, and on your side
- Print & take home — the 2-page guide 9 Tips for Helping Kids Develop Basic Wellness Habits: English · español
- School food is already free — “Chicago Public Schools offers free, nutritionally balanced breakfast, lunch, and snacks to all students,” plus free summer meals for any Chicago child 1–18: CPS School Meals & Nutrition
- The plate, drawn — in your family’s language — the guide many of our families grew up with, Mexico’s Plato del Bien Comer (Secretaría de Salud); or Canada’s Food Guide, whose one-page plate comes in Spanish and 16 other languages
- If the fridge is the problem, not the menu — nearby food pantries: Care for Real (Uptown/Edgewater) and Common Pantry; find more on the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s Find Food map or Find Food IL (U of I Extension / SNAP-Ed), which also has budget recipes
- Ages 0–5 — Sesame Workshop’s Eating Well videos and printables (EN/ES), including eating well on a budget
Sleep — bedtimes that stick
At any age, kids need a bedtime routine — the same time every night, screens away an hour before, and a dark, boring bedroom. Sleep is the routine that makes every other routine work.
“A cualquier edad, los niños necesitan tener una rutina para acostarse. … Una vez que hayas establecido una rutina, apégate a ella. Te conviene ser predecible.”
— Child Mind Institute, Cómo fomentar buenos hábitos de sueño
“Older kids’ routines should include a consistent bedtime and putting away their phones and other screens an hour before bedtime. … Bedrooms should be cool, dark and without distractions like bright digital lights or exciting toys.”
— Child Mind Institute, Encouraging Good Sleep Habits
How much is enough? Per 24 hours, naps included — ages 3–5: 10–13 hours · ages 6–12: 9–12 hours · ages 13–18: 8–10 hours (American Academy of Pediatrics).
En español · ¿Cómo puedo fomentar en mi hijo hábitos básicos de bienestar?
In English · How do I build my child’s basic wellness habits?
This is the same all-in-one Positive Parenting, Thriving Kids wellness episode as above — it covers sleep, food, and exercise together (Child Mind Institute, filmed separately in each language).
Free, and on your side
- Print & take home — the 2-page wellness guide (sleep, food & exercise): English · español
- How many hours, by age — the pediatricians’ chart: in English · en español (HealthyChildren.org / AAP)
- When bedtime is a battle — Child Mind’s How to Help Kids Who Have Trouble Sleeping; for 7th–8th graders, More Sleep for Teens
- Screens out of the bedroom — put it in writing with the AAP Family Media Plan: in English · en español (see also Emotional Well-Being)
Moving every day
Kids need 60 minutes of activity a day — and it doesn’t cost anything. The park, the block, the walk to school, the living-room dance party all count. When you move with them, you get the benefits too.
“Los niños y los adolescentes de entre 6 y 17 años necesitan 60 minutos de actividad todos los días.”
— Muévete a tu Manera (Departamento de Salud de EE. UU.), Ayuda a tus hijos a hacer más actividad física
“Kids need 60 minutes of activity every day. … When you move with your kids, you get the health benefits, too!”
— Move Your Way (U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services), Help your kids get more physical activity
En español · Consejos para aumentar la actividad física en familia
In English · Tips for Getting Active as a Family
Both from Move Your Way, the U.S. government’s plain-language campaign for the Physical Activity Guidelines — short, made for parents, in Spanish and in English.
Free, and on your side
- Print & take home — the Move Your Way parents fact sheet: English · español; the interactive planner finds the 60 minutes inside a real family day
- Where to move, near us — the Chicago Park District‘s free and low-cost sports, open gym, and after-school programs, at Clarendon Park Community Center (4501 N Clarendon) and Chase Park (4701 N Ashland) — plus the lakefront and its free playgrounds a walkable mile east
- Rainy or freezing day? — Move Your Way’s getting active indoors: English · español