Well Check-Up / 6-12 Year Olds
DIET/NUTRITION
Children at this age should be eating a variety of foods from different food groups each day. Try to offer several servings of fruit and vegetables each day—the goal is 5 servings each day. Including 2-3 servings of dairy products—such as milk, yogurt, or cheese—provides calcium and other nutrients. Most school aged children do not require any vitamins, but if you are concerned that your child does not get enough of variety in his diet, discuss this with your doctor. Limit the amount of sugary drinks (juice, pop, lemonade, sweet tea) your child consumes, with no more than 6-8 ounces per day of 100% fruit juice and no more than 1-2 servings per week of other sweet drinks. Offer healthy snacks—examples are carrot sticks, fruit, yogurt, a cheese stick, pretzels, and whole grain crackers—instead of processed and packaged foods whenever possible. Try to eat together as a family and make mealtime a pleasant experience for everyone!
EXERCISE/PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Regular exercise is important for all children. Encourage playing outside and limit screen time not related to school to no more than 2 hours per day. The goal for all children is at least 1 hour of physical activity every day. This does not have to be 1 hour of uninterrupted time but can include recess time, playing outside after school, sports practice, or any other physical activity. Many children may enjoy organized team sports at this age, but they can also get good exercise from just playing with their friends and family. Try to make physical activity enjoyable for everyone by playing together or taking walks or bike rides as a family.
BEHAVIOR/DISCIPLINE
Provide clear and consistent rules for your child and make consequences consistent for bad behavior. Praise for good behavior is often more powerful than punishment for bad behavior, but it is important to carry out whatever penalty you have discussed for broken rules, so your child learns that bad behavior will not be tolerated and takes your rules seriously. Withholding privileges can also be effective
DENTAL CARE
All children should visit the dentist twice a year and brush their teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste.
CAR SAFETY
All children under 13 years of age should ride in the back seat of the car. Indiana law requires children under the age of 8 to ride in booster seats. However, even once your child turns 8, he should continue to sit in a booster seat if he is not 4’ 9” (57 inches tall). After reaching 57 inches, children should continue to sit in the back seat with a seat belt with a shoulder belt that fits across their shoulder and chest (and not across the neck or face) and a lap belt that fits across the upper thighs (and not the stomach or abdomen). To reinforce the importance of seat belts, all adults should model good behavior and wear their seat belts as well
SAFETY
Bicycle helmets are important for all kids to who ride bikes, even if they do not ride far from home. Again it is important to model good behavior and wear your own helmet if you ever ride a bike. Make sure smoke detectors work and change the batteries twice year. Discuss a family fire safety escape plan with everyone in the house. Discuss when it’s appropriate to dial 911 for emergencies make sure children know their address, parents’ names, and parents’ phone numbers in case they ever need to call for help. Use sunscreen and insect repellent when outdoors. If you keep firearms in the home, keep them locked with ammunition kept separately, and teach young children never to touch guns. Talk about online safety with your children, and teach them never to share their real names, birthdates, or addresses online. If your children have internet access, make sure to monitor what sites they are visiting and consider using parental controls to prevent them from accessing inappropriate sites. Children who have access to social media (such as Snapchat or Instagram) should be careful what they post for others to see and should be encouraged to share with a trusted adult if they see or receive something online that makes them uncomfortable