Water Wonders: How to Make Drinking H2O Fun for Kids
Kids are very active indeed. Their day revolves around playing games and running around. And that’s only the bare minimum at home. Once they’re in school, kiddos do even more activities – with some even making it to various sports teams. Children will sweat a lot and get very thirsty, meaning they need to catch up with their hydration needs.
Despite kids obviously needing water, it’s not the most appealing beverage to them. Don’t be surprised if your child runs away from you when you tell them it’s time to drink water. To kids, water is bland and this tests their parents’ wits, patience, and creativity to keep them hydrated.
Introducing the benefits of sparkling water as a fun and healthy alternative can help encourage kids to drink more water and stay hydrated. If this sounds like a situation you’re in, this post may just be life-changing. Here, you’ll learn a number of tricks to encourage and get your kids to drink more water. Keep on reading to learn more.
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Install A Water Filter
While water flowing from the tap is generally already clean enough to drink, nothing beats the added safety of having your own filtration system installed. It gives you that added peace of mind that even when kids get their water directly from the tap, it’s potable at all times.
If your home doesn’t have one, consider investing in a unit this year. It’s so in demand in households that numerous suppliers offer this service. Take time to learn more about water filters, so you’ll be on the same page as to what an excellent company can do for you. This helps ensure the best price for its quality, good warranties, and after-sales service.
Having your water filters at home encourages kids to drink more water now that they can quickly grab a glass straight from the tap.
Make Drinking Water Fun For Children 
Parents with young toddlers and children need to be more creative when encouraging kids to drink water. Because water is plain in taste and color, it’s said that children would rather have juices and other colored beverages. These aren’t considered okay for hydration, especially when the juices are laden with sugar. Water is still the best and healthiest beverage to drink.
With that, parents must be more creative when presenting water to children, using silly or bendy straws and water bottles with fun designs. Bring your kids with you when it’s time to shop for new cups and bottles so they can choose a design they like.
Give An Occasional Boost Of Flavor
Even adults would sometimes find drinking water too plain. No, this doesn’t mean sugar-filled, artificially flavored juice drinks. The boost occasional boost of flavor being talked about here refers to a few slices of fruit here and there.
Involve your child by letting them juice what fruit to have for today. This keeps the excitement and likelihood that they’ll finish that glass of flavored water. Plus, young children are more likely to try something they’ve had a choice of. Finally, one of the many benefits of sparkling water is that by combining it with the juice, you can create an easy soda alternative that emulates the taste and texture without any unhealthy additives.
How to encourage kids to drink water: Set The Right Example
Kids look up to their parents often, so when you set rules, ensure you’re also setting the right example. It’ll be harder for you to get your kids to drink more water when they see you drinking soda and juice the whole time. When you say it’s time to drink water, show this by drinking water yourself.
If possible, it’s a good practice to limit the availability of artificially sweetened and flavored drinks at home, too. That way, kids have no choice but to drink water and fresh fruit juice. Tuck the juice boxes away because they’re reserved for your kids only for their school lunch boxes.
You can give them access to sugary drinks once in a while, only during special occasions like when you’re invited to parties. Make this a habit in your household so that in your family, you’re fostering a healthy eating and drinking lifestyle is a must.
Carry A Water Bottle When You’re On-The-Go
There’s a good reason why water bottles are everywhere. It should be a must-have item in parents’ and kids’ bags whenever they’re out and about. Sure, there’s lots of bottled water to buy, but even adults are compelled to drink more water when they bring their own. The reason behind this is there’s no reason not to, as you have it with you right when it’s needed.
Say, you’re off to the playground with the kids. It’s easier to grab the bottle and have them drink a few sips regularly when you have it in your bag than to worry first about where to buy water. Settle for whatever beverage may be available nearby and offer that.
How to encourage kids to drink water: The Bottomline
Water may be a plain beverage, yet it’s also the healthiest. Parents naturally want the best for their children, including solid and good water-drinking habits while they’re young.
Meeting the daily water requirement helps the body’s systems function well, the most compelling being the ability to flush out toxins in the kidney and support overall neurological function. It can be a battle with your children at first, yet with tried-and-tested tactics like those above, you’ll soon be having them reach out for water as their beverage.
