Teaching kids about health online
Parents know how hard it is to pass good health information on to their children. Cook healthy meals, limit time in front of the television, and encourage exercise, and you may still be wondering if the point is getting across. Luckily, the internet offers many resources for parents and children to explore their health care together. Visit these sites with your child, but remember that in the end your good example is most important in creating a lasting effect.Kids Health Kids Home Page: This site provides accurate information, reviewed by real medical doctors, about different categories of health. This doesn’t just include staying fit and eating healthy, but also other areas of health including “Feelings” about friends and school, issues associated with a “Growing Body & Mind,” and “Staying Safe.” The interactive “Movies & Games” section will probably be your child’s favorite section. Through games like the Pumpkin-o-Meter, where players feed a pumpkin candy in order to learn about calories, important health care information is explained in an entertaining way.Children’s Health Fund Health Education Materials: The Children’s Health Fund was founded in 1987 by pediatrician Irwin Redlener and musician Paul Simon. The Health Educational Materials available at the site include colorful brochures and activity sheets with tips for parents on how to address important health topics with their children. Some of the sheets are in the form of lesson plans, which include lists of other recommended materials. Others include activities that children and teachers or parents can do together.Playnormous: Playnormous describes itself as “an online community where children, their parents, and teachers can learn about health in a fun, interactive way.” Most of the games are targeted at children between kindergarten and 5th grade, but the lessons shared are helpful for everyone. The site includes Games, Stories, and Monsters, along with a Bonus section. Games and Stories should both be fairly self-explanatory. Monsters is a section where kids can create their own monsters and have them rated by other users. In the Bonus section, parents will find healthy recipes and contests which they can share with their young ones.