5 Tips on How to Get Kids to Drink More Water

5 Tips on How to Get Kids to Drink More Water

Drinking water should be part of your family culture. Train your children from a young age to drink a lot of water and it will become part of them. The following tips will help get you started:

Make sure it’s always available.

Whenever your children tell you they’re thirsty, give them water at least 75% of the time. Make it the first beverage they turn to most of the time from an early age. If you have a refrigerator in your garage, keep it stocked with water bottles. When you’re taking long trips in the car, take a cooler full of ice and water bottles. If your kids are toddlers or younger, make sure they always have a sippy cup of water available to them and encourage them to drink it. Don’t keep many other beverage options available in your home.

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Show them your example.

Kids learn mostly by watching you. You can tell them to drink water all day long, but if you never drink it, they’ll likely follow your lead. Make water your family’s go-to beverage in most cases. Keep it on hand and serve it with most of your meals. Drink as much water as you’re wanting them to drink each day or more. Sometimes, drink it with them.

Have fun with it.

Let your young children pick out special sippy cups just for water. Make it a daily challenge for them to finish 2 or 3 cups of water. Supplement tap water with flavored and/or fizzy water sometimes. Try adding berries or citrus slices to a pitcher of water. Freeze fruit ice cube trays of water or juice to make fun ice to drink with water. Buy fun, silly straws to drink from.

Teach them the importance of water.

Show them what happens to a plant when it doesn’t get water for a day (or long enough for leaves to wilt). Then show them how quickly it springs back to life when you give it water. Around 60% of the human body is water. Outline their body and color in roughly 60% of it blue to show how much of it is made of water. Remind them frequently how important water is to their health and well-being. When they go to the doctor for a checkup, ask your family physician to talk about how important water is to family medicine and preventive healthcare.

Serve foods high in water content.

Many healthy foods are high in water content. Make sure they’re eating the recommended portions of fruits and vegetables each day. Serve soup and make sure they’re drinking plenty of milk. Watermelon is a summer favorite and full of water. You can also make homemade juice popsicles and fruit smoothies for water-logged sweet treats.

A Culture of Drinking Water

If drinking water is a part of your family culture, your children will drink it without thinking about it. Sure, they’ll protest sometimes, but it will become normal. Make it your family’s go-to beverage starting with these tips on how to get kids to drink more water.