Happy and healthy – Parenting a 3-year-old
Happy memories reflect a happy childhood. Using simple tasks and activities, whānau can create happy, healthy experiences for their child.
Your child: 3 to 5 years(external link) – in this video on the Ministry of Health website, we meet parents Ria and Barry, who have 2 tamariki aged 3 and 4. They talk about caring for their children and working towards their goals for their children – to grow up happy and healthy.
Ria and Barry share the things that are important for them and their children.
Here are some suggestions to help start a conversation with the whānau.
Pātai atu ki te whānau:
- What do you think of Ria and Barry’s kōrero?
- What do you think about the goals they talk about?
- Ria says that being a parent is difficult but has the best rewards. What do you think she means by this?
- What are your thoughts about being a parent?
Remember the simple things
Ria and Barry talk about making memories: skateboards, drawing, gardening. It doesn’t have to be anything special or grand.
- What were some happy memories from your childhood?
- Are there any particular activities that come to mind, such as beach trips, walks in the ngahere, ball games, picnics, tree climbing?
- What memories are your tamariki building now?
- What memories would you like them to have?
- What can you do about it?
- What do you think about the advice that Erika, the Well Child Tamariki Ora nurse, gives?
- Are there any questions you’d like to ask your Well Child Tamariki Ora nurse?
- Would you like to put some questions together for your nurse?
Titiro ki ‘ngā ara mātua’
Ngā ara mātua help us focus on the wellbeing and security of our tamariki.
Ask the whānau if there are any ideas they want to try. Some new routines or activities can be refreshing and enjoyable to add into the family’s day-to-day existence.
Even simple things like spending some time every day playing and being with our child can make a difference. Although it sounds pretty basic, sometimes the reality of parenting is we get distracted with other things and the day flies by. So, it’s a matter of doing the simple things but doing them every day and being fully engaged with our tamaiti when we do them.
Having a few simple rules – and sticking to them. Again it sounds simple, but it’s very easy to forget or let it slip. And we need to follow through on things ourselves if we want to help our tamariki to make some positive changes, too.
Suggest to whānau that you work out a few simple tasks together, either from the suggestions in ngā ara mātua or by making up something especially for their tamaiti.
All the self-care things like teeth cleaning, dressing themselves, sitting down to eat a healthy meal or avoiding sweet or unhealthy kai can be looked at in the same way as ngā ara mātua. They are all about guiding our tamaiti on a path towards health and happiness.
As Heru says in Whakatipu booklet Te Māhuri 1 (page 3), "My whānau says it’s all right for me to eat heaps of healthy kai, not too much sugar though!"
Helpful resources for whānau
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Product Safety: Keeping kids safe
Information for whānau about product safety and keeping kids safe, by choosing safe products and learning to use them properly.
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HealthEd: Eating for healthy children aged 2 to 12
This booklet gives advice for parents, whānau and caregivers on the types of food children need to eat to be healthy. It also describes how children can be active in everyday life.
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Parents Ria and Barry talk about parenting<
Parents Ria and Barry talk about parentingIn this video from the Ministry of Health we meet Ria and Barry and their two children, Ocean and Kārearea. Ocean is 3 and Kārearea is 4. Find out how Ria and Barry care for their children and keep them healthy and safe.
