a day, preferably in the morning after breakfast
and at night before bed. While parents should
help younger children brush, the American
Academy of Pediatric Dentistry says most kids
are ready to brush independently by age 7 or 8.

“Use a timer or play a song lasting about
two minutes, and divide those minutes equally
among all the areas of the mouth,” says
Dr. Srotalina Khanna, a dentist at Bethesda
Family Smiles in Maryland. “For younger
kids, try using fun toothpaste flavors or tooth-
brushes with characters that appeal to them.”
Parents should also start flossing kids’ teeth
as soon as they have two or more teeth that are
too close together for a toothbrush to clean
between. And kids can cut down on sugary
4 I WILL EAT MORE COLORS 4
And no, that doesn’t mean feasting on Skittles snacks and drinks that cause tooth decay.

and cotton candy. It means eating fruits and
vegetables in a variety of colors—what nutri- 4 I WILL GET MORE EXERCISE 4
tionists call “eating the rainbow.” Fruits and The Centers for Disease Control and
veggies get their colors from chemicals called Prevention (CDC) recommends kids ages 6
phytonutrients, which also provide antioxidant to 17 get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous
and anti-inflammatory benefits. The goal is to physical activity each day. This will help them
eat one to two servings of each color per day.

maintain a healthy weight and blood pres-
“I have a handout I give my own kids and sure, decrease their risk of diseases such as
clients to track their color intake,” says Type 2 diabetes, boost their confidence and
Elizabeth Owens, a certified nutrition special- mood and strengthen their muscles, bones,
ist in Burke, Virginia. “My son loves checking joints and heart.

off the circles for each color.”
Kids who play sports could easily meet this
60-minute daily goal, but those who don’t
4 I WILL TAKE CARE OF MY TEETH 4 may need an extra push. Encourage your kids
Kids should resolve to brush their teeth twice to move more by making it fun and doing
encourages families to get out and have adven-
tures together—even if the chores are piling
up or you’re feeling lazy. Whether it’s visiting a
local museum, checking out a new playground
or any other fun activity, you’ll be creating
priceless family memories that will last a life-
time—and the laundry (and your pillow) will
still be waiting for you when you get back.

“There are so many great adventures in
store for you and your kids, but you have to be
willing to walk out the front door first,” Reimers
says. “I challenge you to just go for it, and in the
process be amazed at how wonderful the world
looks through the eyes of your children.”
it together. Go for a family walk, bike ride or
swim. Play catch in the backyard or shoot some
hoops in the driveway. Set up a scavenger hunt
or obstacle course. Or, turn up the music and
have a living-room dance party.

4 I WILL FOCUS MORE ON THE GOOD
AND LESS ON THE BAD 4
Being a kid isn’t always easy. There are friend
problems, school struggles and sports tryouts
gone bad. And just like adults, kids can easily
get caught up in what’s going wrong.

Instead, kids can choose to focus on the good
parts of their lives. One way they can do this is
to practice mindfulness.

“Mindfulness is learning to control your
thoughts instead of letting them control you,”
says Noble.

Parents can help kids be more mindful by
teaching them to take deep breaths and think
about things that make them happy. You can
also give kids something to do that will take
their mind off whatever is bothering them,
such as coloring.

“When a person gets immersed in a project,
we call that a ‘flow state’,” says Noble. “They’re
so focused on this thing in front of them that
everything else just melts away.”
No matter what New Year’s resolutions your
family makes this year, we wish you a healthy
and happy 2023! 1
WashingtonFAMILY.com 21