WIN Weight-control Information Network 

Healthy Eating &

Physical Activity 

Across Your Lifespan

Helping Your Child

❑	 Make sure your child eats breakfast.

Breakfast provides children with the energy

they need to listen and learn in school.

❑	 Offer your child a wide variety of foods, such as grains,

vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products, and lean

meat or beans.

❑	 Talk with your health care provider if you are concerned

about your child’s eating habits or weight.

❑	 Cook with less fat—bake, roast, or poach foods instead

of frying.

❑	 Limit the amount of added sugar in your child’s diet. Serve

water or low-fat milk more often than sugar-sweetened

sodas and fruit-flavored drinks.

❑	 Involve your child in planning and preparing meals. Children

may be more willing to eat the dishes they help fix.

❑	 Be a role model for your children. If they see you being

physically active and having fun, they are more likely to be

active and stay active throughout their lives.

❑	 Encourage your child to be physically active every day.

❑	 Involve the whole family in activities like hiking, biking,

dancing, basketball, or roller skating.

TIPS FOR PARENTS
TIPS FOR PARENTS

Healthy Eating & 

Physical Activity 

Across Your Lifespan

Helping Your Child

❑	 Make	sure	your	child	eats	breakfast.		

Breakfast	provides	children	with	the	energy		

they	need	to	listen	and	learn	in	school.	

❑	 Offer	your	child	a	wide	variety	of	foods,	such	as	grains,		

vegetables	and	fruits,	low-fat	dairy	products,	and	lean		

meat	or	beans.

❑	 Talk	with	your	health	care	provider	if	you	are	concerned	

about	your	child’s	eating	habits	or	weight.

❑	 Cook	with	less	fat—bake,	roast,	or	poach	foods	instead		

of	frying.

❑	 Limit	the	amount	of	added	sugar	in	your	child’s	diet.	Serve	

water	or	low-fat	milk	more	often	than	sugar-sweetened		

sodas	and	fruit-flavored	drinks.

❑	 Involve	your	child	in	planning	and	preparing	meals.	Children	

may	be	more	willing	to	eat	the	dishes	they	help	fix.

❑	 Be	a	role	model	for	your	children.	If	they	see	you	being	

physically	active	and	having	fun,	they	are	more	likely	to	be	

active	and	stay	active	throughout	their	lives.

❑	 Encourage	your	child	to	be	physically	active	every	day.	

❑	 Involve	the	whole	family	in	activities	like	hiking,	biking,	

dancing,	basketball,	or	roller	skating.

WIN Weight-control Information Network
TIPS FOR PARENTS 

Healthy Eating & 

Physical Activity 

Across Your Lifespan 

Helping Your Child

❑ Make sure your child eats breakfast. 

Breakfast provides children with the energy 

they need to listen and learn in school. 

❑ Offer your child a wide variety of foods, such as grains, 

vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products, and lean 

meat or beans.

❑ Talk with your health care provider if you are concerned about 

your child’s eating habits or weight.

❑ Cook with less fat—bake, roast, or poach foods instead 

of frying.

❑ Limit the amount of added sugar in your child’s diet. Serve water or low-fat milk more often than sugar-sweetened 

sodas and fruit-flavored drinks.

❑ Involve your child in planning and preparing meals. Children 

may be more willing to eat the dishes they help fix.

❑ Be a role model for your children. If they see you being physically active and having fun, they are more likely to be active 

and stay active throughout their lives.

❑ Encourage your child to be physically active every day. 

❑ Involve the whole family in activities like hiking, biking, danc- 

ing, basketball, or roller skating.

WIN Weight-control Information Network 
Index

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

How will healthy eating and physical activity 

help my child? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

How are my child’s eating and activity habits 

formed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Healthy Eating

What should my child eat? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Sources of Calcium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

How can I help my child eat better? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Simple Snack Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Physical Activity

What about physical activity? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

How can I help my child be more active? . . . . . . . . 10

What if my child is overweight? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

How can I help my overweight child? . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Additional Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Childhood Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Helping Your Child

Introduction

Eating well and being physically active are key to 

your child’s well-being . Eating too much and 

exercising too little can lead to overweight and 

related health problems that can follow children 

into their adult years . You can take an active role in 

helping your child —and your whole family—learn 

healthy eating and physical activity habits .

Helping Your Child 1
How will healthy eating and physical 

activity help my child?

All children benefit from healthy eating and physical 

activity . A balanced diet and being physically active 

help children: 

●	 Grow .

●	 Learn . 

●	 Build strong bones and muscles . 

●	 Have energy .

●	 Maintain a healthy weight .

●	 Avoid obesity-related diseases 

like type 2 diabetes .

●	 Get plenty of nutrients . 

●	 Feel good about themselves .

How are my child’s eating and activity 

habits formed?

Parents play a big role in shaping children’s eating 

habits . When parents eat a variety of foods that are 

low in fat and sugar and high in fiber, children learn to 

like these foods as well . It may take 10 or more tries 

before a child accepts a new food, so do not give up if 

your child does not like a new food right away .

2 Helping Your Child
Parents have an effect on children’s physical activity 

habits as well . You can set a good example by going 

for a walk or bike ride after dinner instead of watching TV . Playing ball or jumping rope with your children 

shows them that being active is fun . 

With many parents working outside the home, child 

care providers also help shape children’s eating and 

activity habits . Make sure your child care provider 

offers well-balanced meals and snacks, as well as 

plenty of active play time . 

If your child is in school, find out more about the 

school’s breakfast and lunch programs and ask to 

have input into menu choices, or help your child pack 

a lunch that includes a variety of foods . Get involved 

in the parent-teacher association—PTA—to support 

physical education and after-school sports . 

Your child’s friends and the media can also affect 

his or her eating and activity choices . Children may 

go to fast food places or play video games with their 

friends instead of playing tag, basketball, or other 

active games . TV commercials try to persuade kids 

to choose high-fat snacks and high-sugar drinks and 

cereals . When parents help their children be aware of 

peer and media pressures, youngsters are more likely 

to make healthy choices outside the home . 

Helping Your Child 3
What should my child eat? 

Just like adults, children need to eat a wide variety of 

foods for good health . 

In January 2005, the U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services (DHHS) and the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) jointly released the 2005 Dietary 

Guidelines for Americans . These new guidelines outline recommendations to promote health and reduce 

the risk of chronic disease through nutritious eating 

and physical activity .

The new guidelines encourage Americans over 2 

years of age to eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods . 

Recommended items include fruits, vegetables, 

fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, lean meats, 

poultry, fish, beans, eggs, nuts, and whole grains. The 

guidelines also recommend a diet low in saturated 

fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added 

sugars .

*For more information about recommended daily 

intakes from various food groups, visit 

http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines. 

4 Helping Your Child

Healthy Eating
Healthy Eating

Helping Your Child 5

Sources of Calcium

Calcium helps build strong bones and teeth . Milk and milk 

products are great sources of calcium . If your child cannot digest 

milk, or if you choose not to serve milk products, there are other 

ways to make sure he or she gets enough calcium .

● Serve calcium-rich vegetables like broccoli, mustard greens, 

kale, collard greens, and brussels sprouts. 

● Include high-calcium beans like great northern beans, black 

turtle beans, navy beans, and baked beans in casseroles and 

salads . 

● Try calcium-enriched soy- and 

rice-based drinks. Serve chilled, 

use in place of cow’s milk in your 

favorite recipes, or add to hot or 

cold cereals . 

● Serve lactose-reduced or lactose-free dairy products like 

low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, and ice cream. (Lactose is the 

sugar in milk and foods made with milk . People who cannot 

digest lactose often have stomach pain and bloating when 

they drink milk.) 

● Try low-fat yogurt or cheese in small amounts—they may be 

easier to digest than milk .
6 Helping Your Child

Healthy Eating

How can I help my child eat better?

● Give your child a snack or two in addition to his or 

her three daily meals .

● Offer your child a wide variety of foods, such as 

grains, vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy 

products, and lean meats or beans. 

●	 Serve snacks like dried fruit, low-fat yogurt, and 

air-popped popcorn . 

●	 Let your child decide whether and how much to 

eat . Keep serving new foods even if your child 

does not eat them at first. 
Healthy Eating

Helping Your Child 7

●	 Cook with less fat—bake, roast, or poach foods instead of 

frying . 

●	 Limit the amount of added sugar in your child’s diet . 

Choose cereals with low or no added sugar . Serve water 

or low-fat milk more often than sugar-sweetened sodas 

and fruit-flavored drinks.

●	 Choose and prepare foods with less salt . Keep the salt 

shaker off the table . Have fruits and vegetables on hand 

for snacks instead of salty snack foods . 

●	 Involve your child in planning and preparing meals . Children may be more willing to eat the dishes they help fix.
8 Helping Your Child

Healthy Eating

●	 Have family meals together and serve everyone 

the same thing . 

●	 Do not be too strict. In small amounts, sweets or 

food from fast-food restaurants can still have a 

place in a healthy diet .

●	 Make sure your child eats breakfast . Breakfast 

provides children with the energy they need to 

listen and learn in school . 
Healthy Eating

Helping Your Child 9

Simple Snack Ideas*

● Dried fruit and nut mix

● Fresh, frozen, or canned 

vegetables or fruit served 

plain or with low-fat yogurt 

● Rice cakes, whole-grain crackers, or 

whole-grain bread served with low-fat cheese, fruit 

spread, peanut butter, almond butter, or soy nut butter

● Pretzels or air-popped popcorn sprinkled with salt-free 

seasoning mix

● Homemade fruit smoothie made with low-fat milk or 

yogurt and frozen or fresh fruit 

● Dry cereals served plain or with low-fat or fat-free milk

*Children of preschool age and younger can easily choke on 

foods that are hard to chew, small and round, or sticky, 

such as hard vegetables, whole grapes, hard chunks 

of cheese, raisins, nuts and seeds, and 

popcorn . Carefully select snacks for 

children in this 

age group .
Physical Activity

What about physical activity?

Like adults, children should be physically active 

most, if not all, days of the week. Experts suggest at 

least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity daily 

for most children. Walking fast, bicycling, jumping 

rope, dancing fast, and playing basketball are all 

good ways for your child to be active . 

As children spend more time watching TV and playing 

computer and video games, they spend less time being active . Parents play a big role in helping kids get up 

and get moving . 

How can I help my child be more 

active?

●	 Be a role model for your children . If they see you 

being physically active and having fun, they are 

more likely to be active and stay active throughout 

their lives .

●	 Involve the whole family in activities like hiking, 

biking, dancing, basketball, or roller skating.

●	 Focus on fun . You can do a lot of walking during 

trips to the zoo, park, or miniature golf course.

10 Helping Your Child
Physical Activity

●	 Include children in household activities like 

dog-walking, car-washing, or lawn-mowing.

●	 Limit your children’s TV and computer time . Offer 

them active options, like joining a local recreation 

center or after-school program, or taking lessons 

in a sport they enjoy .

●	 Encourage your children to be physically active 

every day . 

Helping Your Child 11
Physical Activity

What if my child is overweight? 

Children who are overweight are more likely to 

become overweight adults . They may develop type 

2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and 

other illnesses that can follow them into adulthood . 

Overweight in children can also lead to stress, 

sadness, and low self-esteem.

Because children grow at different 

rates at different times, it is not always easy to tell if a child is overweight. For example, it is normal 

for boys to have a growth spurt 

in weight and catch up in height 

later . Your health care provider can 

measure your child’s height and 

weight and tell you if your child is 

in a healthy range for his or her 

gender and age . If your provider 

finds that your child is overweight, 

you can help . 

12 Helping Your Child
Physical Activity

How can I help my overweight child? 

●	 Do not put your child on a weight-loss diet 

unless your health care provider tells you to . 

Limiting what children eat may interfere with 

their growth . 

●	 Involve the whole family in building healthy eating 

and physical activity habits. It benefits everyone 

and does not single out the child who is overweight .

●	 Accept and love your child at any weight . It will 

boost his or her self-esteem .

●	 Help your child find ways other than food to 

handle setbacks or successes .

●	 Talk with your health care provider if you are concerned about your child’s eating habits or weight .

Helping Your Child 13
14 Helping Your Child

Remember, you play the biggest role in your child’s 

life . You can help your children learn healthy eating 

and physical activity habits that they can follow for 

the rest of their lives . 

Additional Reading

Dietary Guidelines for Americans. USDA and DHHS, 

2005 . http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines.
Childhood Resources

The American Academy of Pediatrics 

141 Northwest Point Boulevard

Elk Grove Village, IL 60007–1098

Phone: (847) 434–4000 or 1–888–227–1770

Internet: http://www.aap.org/parents.html

The American Dietetic Association 

120 South Riverside Plaza 

Suite 2000 

Chicago, IL 60606–6995

Toll-free number: 1–800–877–1600 

Internet: http://www.eatright.org

Food and Nutrition Information Center 

USDA 

Agricultural Research Service

National Agricultural Library 

Room 105

10301 Baltimore Avenue

Beltsville, MD 20705–2351

Phone: (301) 504–5719

Internet: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic

International Food Information Council

1100 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Suite 430

Washington, DC 20036–4120

Phone: (202) 296–6540

Internet: http://ific.org

Helping Your Child 15
16 Helping Your Child

The National Network for Child Care

Internet: http://www.nncc.org

The President’s Council on Physical Fitness 

and Sports

Department W

200 Independence Avenue, SW

Room 738–H

Washington, DC 20201–0004

Phone: (202) 690–9000

Internet: http://www.fitness.gov

WeCan! Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and 

Nutrition

Toll-free number: 1–866–359–3226

Internet: http://wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov

Weight-control Information Network

1 WIN Way

Bethesda, MD 20892–3665

Phone: (202) 828–1025

FAX: (202) 828–1028

Toll-free number: 1–877–946–4627

Email: WIN@info .niddk .nih .gov

Internet: http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov

Inclusion of resources is for information only and does 

not imply endorsement by NIDDK or WIN.
The Weight-control Information Network (WIN) is 

a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and 

Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the 

National Institutes of Health, which is the Federal 

Government’s lead agency responsible for biomedical 

research on nutrition and obesity. Authorized by Congress (Public Law 103–43), WIN provides the general 

public, health professionals, the media, and Congress 

with up-to-date, science-based health information on 

weight control, obesity, physical activity, and related 

nutritional issues . 

Helping Your Child 17
18 Helping Your Child

Publications produced by WIN are reviewed by both 

NIDDK scientists and outside experts. This publication 

was also reviewed by Lisa Kelly, M.P.H., R.D., 

International Food Information Council . 

This publication is not copyrighted . WIN encourages 

users of this brochure to duplicate and distribute as 

many copies as desired .

This publication is also available at 

http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health

NIH Publication No. 04–4955

March 2004

Updated January 2007