A wellness routine is a combination of healthy habits that support your overall well-being and help you be the best version of you. Whether it be meditation, a skincare routine, or even just skipping the drive-thru, you should aim to incorporate as many healthy habits as you can across various areas of your life. Generally, there are 8 accepted dimensions of wellness: emotional or mental, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual (1). Depending on your short-term and long-term goals and what stage you’re currently at in your life, you may wish to tailor your wellness routine to highlight a few of these dimensions in particular. In this article, we will be focusing on how to construct a wellness routine for families, including a family wellness plan sample to help with both at home and school activities. For a fitness and wellness plan example or simply for more information on how to approach wellness from a more general perspective, check out our article on Daily Wellness Routines as well.

So what is family wellness exactly? What does it look like? According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, “family wellness means that everyone in the family has healthy mental functioning, productive activities, and fulfilling relationships with one another and people outside the family” (2). Familial well-being of this kind is often an ongoing process. After all, every family’s situation is unique and will require its own set of consistent healthy habits. There are family wellness activities to fit every lifestyle, no matter how hectic your schedule may be. From eating meals together to teaching your kids about the usefulness of meditation, the family wellness meaning is very adaptable, often branching out from the typical concerns about nutrition and physical activity into emotional and spiritual aspects of life as well. It’s all about finding the right balance of fun and fulfillment to keep all family members engaged while helping them to form good habits that will lead them to live overall healthier lives.

Family Relationships And Well Being

But why is family wellness important? And why are families important to individuals? Let’s explore these questions by taking a deeper look at family relationships and well-being as well as the importance of family in health promotion, especially for kids and teens.

For many kids growing up, the blueprint for healthy living comes largely from family life. Internal family relationships can help developing children understand social intricacies in a safe environment, both by watching how parents interact and by playing with siblings. These relationships provide a foundation that kids can rely on as they branch out with their own social circles and seek healthy relationships outside of the family structure. Communication and quality time are key aspects of building family relationships, and one of the best ways to increase both of these around your household is by incorporating wellness activities that your family can do together.

Let’s consider some of the positive effects of family wellness and how these activities can bring your loved ones closer to each other. Wellness activities are an excellent source of bonding and quality time. Eating meals together, planning out a nutrition plan, or practicing yoga as a family are just a few examples of healthy habits that are fun and engaging for family members of all ages. Encourage your kids to make their own contributions to your routines, perhaps by setting their own unique fitness or meditation goals outside of the overall family goals. Practices like these will help them learn how to set achievable goals for themselves in the future as well as deal with both success and failure when striving toward their goals.

And not only do these activities bring family members together, but they also teach valuable lessons about healthy behaviors to young children and teens. Children rely on their parents as an example of how to live in a healthy way and are much more likely to do things that they have seen their parents do. By establishing healthy practices when it comes to preventive care, exercise, hygiene, and nutrition, you can help your children lay a foundational understanding of how to take care of their bodies and their minds in many different aspects of their lives (3). This understanding speaks to the importance of family wellness, with the formation of healthy habits at a young age leading children to develop valuable life skills that will help them plan well and make the most of their futures.

Healthy Lifestyle For Families

The phrase “family lifestyle” refers to the way that the members of a family live together and co-exist on a daily basis. It includes not only the habits of the family as a unit, but also the habits of each individual family member on their own. These can of course refer to physical practices, but mental, emotional, and spiritual habits are essential as well. There are many different types of family lifestyle depending on your family’s unique situation. However, one of the most important aspects of this lifestyle should always be promoting health and wellness. 

So, how can you promote a healthy lifestyle in your family and community? Well, the first step to creating a healthy lifestyle for families should be to lay a foundational understanding of what it means to be healthy and live well. If you don’t first explain to your kids the reasons why healthy living is important for them, then they might start to view healthy habits as arbitrary or question the meaning behind them. This may lead them to resist or even resent anything to do with being healthy, so do your best not only to explain the motivations behind healthy activities, but also allow your children to have a voice in the planning of your lifestyle. This will teach them responsibility while helping them gain a deeper understanding of why it is important to take care of themselves in the first place.

Health And Wellness Activities For Families

Now, let’s take a look at some general health and wellness activities for families. Family walks, whether in the evening after dinner, midday, or before breakfast, are an excellent activity to promote bonding as well as fitness. This is particularly helpful to anyone wondering “How is it possible to keep myself and my family members fit and healthy in this pandemic?” As we will discuss in the next section, there are tons of wellness activities you can perform at home, but when you need a little time out of the house without too much pressure, taking a family walk around the neighborhood or even on a trail nearby can be a great way to burn some calories and help your kids let off steam.

Another essential aspect of a family lifestyle aside from fitness is nutrition. This is especially important to health and wellness for kids, who need to maintain a consistent diet full of nutrients in order to grow up well. With food quality on a decline in recent years and many children being picky eaters, it has become harder to pack all the necessary nutrients into a family diet plan. If you feel that you and your loved ones could benefit from an extra boost of nutrition, then you may want to consider adding a multivitamin to your routine. Better Family’s Liquid Daily Multivitamin contains a diverse blend of essential nutrients such as B complex vitamins, vitamins A, E, D, and K, and important minerals like zinc, iodine, chromium, and selenium. This all-in-one liquid solution can be consumed sublingually and is more concentrated than other liquid multivitamins, making it the standout choice among competitors for fast absorption of only the highest quality micronutrients. Both safe and effective, our Liquid Daily Multivitamin is a great choice for any household and can be given to family members of all ages.

Health Activities At Home

As far as health activities at home go, there are plenty of fun ways to bond with your loved ones and promote wellness without having to leave the comfort of home. In fact, eating dinner together is one of the most common family habit examples that works for nearly every family lifestyle. Having meals as a family benefits wellness in terms of nutrition, of course, but it also creates a safe environment where kids and parents can communicate on equal ground while doing an activity that is enjoyable for everyone. This strengthens familial bonds, builds connections, and establishes trust all while helping kids learn more about proper nutrition.

Although not necessarily one distinct activity, another one of the important family lifestyle examples to consider is disconnecting from electronics. Phones and other devices can be a huge distraction during family activities, preventing both kids and parents alike from giving each other their full attention. Try to set your devices aside in order to properly engage with your loved ones and encourage your children to do the same. After all, if you don’t set the example yourself, they will likely refuse to follow along. Putting aside your devices also lets your kids know that they have your attention and that spending time with them is a priority.

Health And Wellness Activities For Students

The global pandemic has had an immense impact on the way kids are attending school, with many of them struggling to make the necessary adjustments to thrive in online classes. Helping your children develop and stick to a wellness routine is one way to guide their transition and make sure they still get the most out of their education throughout these difficult times. In this section, we have provided some school wellness plan examples to help parents brainstorm wellness activities for students during covid.

First, try to split up the monotony of virtual classes with frequent breaks. Lunch and recess are essential parts of every school day, even for older students. Even if you don’t have time to prepare lunch for them yourself, encourage kids to step away from their assignments and truly relax while they eat. Taking a walk or catching up with friends for a bit can also refresh the mind by providing them with a much needed break.

Second, create a separate school workspace for your children to utilize during the day. Having no separation between their living space and their school space can be stressful for many students. Set aside an area in the dining room, office, or anywhere quiet and secluded where your child can customize their environment and work on assignments without distractions. 

These are just two examples of health and wellness activities for students that may help your children adapt to the abrupt changes happening in the world at the moment. Work together with them to create a wellness routine that adheres to their goals and preferences while still pushing them to be the best version of themselves that they can be.

Resources

1. “The Eight Dimensions of Wellness.” William & Mary, 2022, https://www.wm.edu/offices/wellness/about/eight-dimensions/index.php.
2. “What Is a Family Wellness Counselor?” Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 4 November 2013, https://www.chop.edu/news/what-family-wellness-counselor.
3. “The Importance of Family for Wellbeing.” University of Minnesota, 2016, https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/create-healthy-lifestyle/relationships/why-relationships-family-are-important/-importance-family-wel.