Habits influence a student’s life much more than people realise. When a student develops a habit, it then happens automatically when the sign appears. Washing hands after meals, placing things back in place after using them, or switching off the lights after leaving a room are all habits. Binge eating and nail biting are also habits, albeit bad ones. It is surely not an exaggeration to state that nearly half of all actions performed by adults are habits.
Habits learned by students will be eventually practiced when they become adults. Hence, they must develop good habits.
How to Develop Good Habits in Cambridge School Students
1. Keep Things Simple
Do not try to instil highly complicated routines. Try making a habit that is as linear as possible. For instance, an early-morning “get ready for the day” habit for students should simply be: wash, get dressed, and eat breakfast. Aditya Birla World Academy or ABWA, which is the best international school in Mumbai , always seeks to instil good habits for kids.
2. Develop Consistency
Whatever the habit you want to develop in Cambridge students , it is essential that the rules are firm and successfully followed through. If you have successfully set the above-mentioned morning routine for your child, support it even if it is a tad inconvenient. Ensure that breakfast is ready after your child gets dressed, or else you will be responsible for breaking the habit and making it harder for your child to develop it as a habit. Hence, everyone at ABWA, which is one of the most reputed international schools in Mumbai, practices what they preach.
3. Be Realistic
Never set unrealistic expectations when it comes to good habits for kids. Do not decide that their morning schedule must be finished in the shortest of time. Plenty of unforeseen events may occur such as spilled milk or trouble finding their clean uniforms. If your child does not feel that a positive routine is achievable, it will never be learned. Make it a point to prepare some leeway.
4. Have Fun
More often than not, instilling of habits by parents can easily be viewed as orders, which is a sure way to ruffle those who are stubborn and to encourage misbehaviour in those who are mischievous. Throw some fun into the mix. Dressing up in one’s favourite clothes or eating a sumptuous treat during breakfast can go a long way in finding happiness while adhering to the habit.
5. Always Reward
Actions become habits when your child is duly rewarded for adhering to them. It is a fact that old-adult habits are rewarded automatically by the release of feel-good neurotransmitters by the brain. Conversely, good habits for kids do not immediately have such an advantage. It is up to the teachers and parents to successfully reward positive habits. If they complete their morning routine quickly, extra playtime or merely warm praise can be given as a reward.
6. Keep Foods Neutral
Never use food as a reward, and do not forbid specific food items. Using food as a reward, such as offering your child a scoop of ice cream for successfully completing their homework, will surely lead to a development of an unhealthy relationship with food. Labelling certain foods as “toxic” or forbidding the intake of some foods will only increase the child’s yearning for that food, which may develop into a habit, resulting in children being overweight or obese. Hence, it is important to choose good habits. This is precisely what ABWA , the best international school in Mumbai, strives for in its students.
7. Prioritise Physical Activity
Not every child enjoys playing sports. Some may even develop a dread when it comes to gym class. However, if they notice that you are active and find enjoyable physical activities, staying active and healthy becomes a breeze. There is a good chance that they make take their fondness for one sport into adulthood, which may reap rich dividends. If your child has not yet found his or her sports niche, you must provide encouragement to keep trying and spend quality “active” time with them. Explore a wide range of sporting activities such as tennis, basketball, swimming, or gymnastics , to name a few. They are sure to find something that they enjoy.
The Bottomline
Good habits, be it study habits, morning habits, or grooming habits, will surely help children to taste sweet success in the future. We can begin developing them in young children while at home and school. The sooner in life we build good and healthy habits, the easier it is to ensure that children stay healthy. Moreover, when good habits are in place, it is far easier to resist bad ones. As a prominent international school in Mumbai, ABWA helps Cambridge school students develop healthy habits and highly active lifestyles.
