It is a dream of every parent that their child becomes self-disciplined and values their upbringing with respect. But when it comes to the bigger picture, the foundation that parents build from early childhood makes all the difference.
If they do not pay attention to how they are molding the structure of life for their kids, later on, it becomes difficult to change their habits. So it is very important to teach them the value of inculcating certain qualities in life. Like healthy eating habits, punctuality, and setting a consistent daily routine.
Kids can easily adopt these qualities in their lives if they follow a proper morning routine every day with a positive attitude. It is rightly said that “what you do today can improve all your tomorrow”.
You can start by teaching your kids to follow a five-step routine right from the time when they wake up until they leave for school. It is as follows.
- Reconnecting with the family – First things first it is very important to express gratitude for a new day. For that, you can teach them to wish good morning to the family members with a bright smile on their faces. Also to pray by looking in their hands and asking for blessings from God and from elders to start the day on a fresh note.
- The morning ritual after waking up – Once they are up, you can tell them to organize their bed and to take blessings from mother earth to stay grounded in life. After that, they can have a glass of lukewarm water and can apply saliva to their eyes. It is said to have done miracles when it comes to health benefits.
- Stretch-Stretch and Stretch- A Great way to start the day is always by doing some kind of stretching exercise. For the same, you can set a quick 10 minutes stretching routine for them. Doing asanas like tadasana, and walking on their heels for a few minutes is going to energize them for the whole day.
- The bath time routine – Kids can start by using homemade toothbrushes. After that, you can teach them kriyas like (Gandusha kriya) to fill water in the mouth while cleaning the eyes and taking bath. It is very important to moisturize the body, and natural products like coconut oil are great for the skin. You can even tell them to apply coconut oil in naval, all this is said to have great health benefits for kids.
- Breakfast – It is said to be the most important. Being thankful for the food on the plate and eating with gratitude provide nourishing effects to the body.
When they leave for school, you can give them food to feed stray animals and even some flour and sugar in a small container to feed ants. This makes them compassionate human beings.
We all know that small habits make a big difference in the long run. When you follow the same routine for yourself, your kids will learn the same thing. After all, you can only teach what you preach.
There are times when they don’t follow what you say but getting frustrated should never be the way for parents. It creates a strained relationship with your kids. Rather you can build a healthy environment for them by practicing these rituals together. It also acts as a solid foundation for a parent-child bond. When kids learn self-respect and discipline it increases their self-esteem and hence they start valuing themselves. They become aware of their self-worth. And this is a foundation step towards building a self-disciplined life for your kids.
