Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I’m Katy Blake. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
It is very difficult to live your best life if you are not healthy. Today’s Spotlight program is part of a series of programs about living a healthy life. The first Spotlight program was on having a healthy pregnancy. The second Spotlight program was on a healthy first year of life. Today’s Spotlight is on three things people can do to help children to have a healthy childhood.
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Voice 2
Being a parent takes a lot of work. But there are ways to help you raise a healthy and happy child. These three things are taking care of the physical body, caring for the mind, and having healthy relationships with other people.
Voice 1
The first way to have a healthy childhood is to take care of the physical body. If a child lives in a dangerous situation, they cannot have a healthy life. Parents cannot stop all hurt and harm. Children often get hurt playing hard or falling down. This is one of the ways children learn about what is safe and what is not. But parents should work to keep children as safe as possible. Parents need to be careful around water, especially with young children. Other concerns are fire, guns, and knives. Children like to explore. But they should not explore things that could lead to injury or death.
Voice 2
Parents should also take children for regular medical tests. Doctors examine if children are growing. Doctors also give vaccines. Vaccines are medicines given to children before they get sick. They are tested and safe. Sometimes vaccines can seem frightening. However, according to the United States Center for Disease Control website:
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“Vaccines during childhood are very important. That is because they help protect children before they are exposed to life-threatening diseases. Vaccines are tested to make sure that they are safe and effective for children to receive at the right ages.”
Voice 1
The last part of caring for a child’s physical body is making sure the child is eating good food and getting enough exercise. A report from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, says:
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“Children ages three through five should be encouraged to move and be active. They should do things such as throwing games and bicycle or tricycle riding. To strengthen bones, young children should hop, skip, jump, and roll around. A target may be three hours each day. This can be all kinds of exercises: light, moderate, or fast. Children ages six through 17 years can achieve most health benefits by doing moderate and fast physical activity for periods of time that add up to 60 minutes or more each day.”
Voice 2
Remember that most children learn by watching what adults do. If adults are eating good food and exercising, children will also want to do these things. And if adults around them smoke cigarettes, or drink alcohol, children may do that. If adults spend hours looking at a phone, then children will want to do that too. Parents need to teach with their words. But they also need to show children with their actions.
Voice 1
Physical bodies are important. But adults must also take care of children’s minds. Children are learning all the time. And they start learning even before they are in school. Even babies learn to see faces, shapes, and different colors. Young children learn about what things feel like, what different foods taste like, and how to move and walk.
Voice 2
When children are old enough, they should attend school. It is not enough that some children get an education. A good education is important for all boys and girls. And education is important for the future of the whole world. Jessie Woolley-Wilson is the CEO of Dreambox. Dreambox is an online mathematics teaching program. She wrote for Fast Company magazine.
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“Our shared future depends on every child receiving a quality education. They will need to be ready to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges. It does not matter their sex, race, or where they live.”
Voice 1
The third thing people can do to create a healthy childhood is to take care of a child’s heart. That is, children need good relationships with other people. It is also important that a child feels emotionally connected to a community of people. Jason Williams is the Director of Quality and Safety at the Children’s Hospital Colorado. He wrote about connecting with children on the hospital’s website:
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“Anything can connect with children. You can go on a bike ride, walk the dog, talk in the car, or let them help you shop. Any time you spend around your children can be a chance for connection. It does not have to be complex. With a baby, it could be as simple as 30 seconds of play or touching her toes. With older kids, it can just be taking time to stop and look at something your child is interested in. You can comment on it and see the world through her eyes. It could be playing a game — even a video game. Or it could be having a teenager show you what he is posting on Instagram. The important thing is to get on their level, be in their world.”
Voice 2
Life is not easy for parents or children. Some parents cannot create a healthy space for their children, even if they want to. They do not have enough money or experience. They may not be able to get good medical care. They may not be able to send their child to the best school. Yet all parents can offer love and connection to their children. And love and connection are two of the most important things people can give to children.
Voice 1
What else do you think helps a child live a healthy life? What stops a person from living a healthy life? Tell us what you think. You can leave a comment on our website. Or email us at contact@spotlightenglish.net. You can also comment on Facebook at Facebook.com/spotlightradio. Subscribe to our channel on YouTube at youtube.com/spotlightenglish1.
Voice 2
The writer of this program was Adam Navis. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at www.spotlightenglish.com. This program is called, ‘Three Tips for a Healthy Childhood’.
Voice 1
Visit our website to download our free official app for Android and Apple devices. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
Question:
What is the best way to be healthy as a young child? Were you a healthy child?
I don’t have my own children yet.
I had a healthy childhood.
I am thankful to my parents.
I think the best way to be healthy as a young child is eating enough nutrients and participating
in running activities as well as games
I would like to be thank you > because the program help me when improve my english
The children learn watching what adults do, so, it´s important the adults do good things or healthy activities. For example the parents should give good nutrition for child. Other situation, when the parents doesn´t have experience, so could be meeting with other parents and the experience other parents can give you help with problems about take care your child.
Yeah, I am a healthy young adult because I like to do healthy activities and take care my nutrition.
This week, i already shadowed your voice with this topic 3 times, i think tomorrow we will have new topic.
see you the next topic
from Vietnamese
the best a way for children ..Leaving them to the body’s immune system is the common sense in which we were created to refuse the intervention of doctors and to give vaccines that disrupt children’s bodies .
Tankyou
To me, the way we connect with children is very important. Children can learn what we speak, do or just through our eyes. We should encourage them and be strict at the right time. Experiencing with children is really the best time.
Thank you Spotlight
Abe
Yes. My mom took care of me so much. I believe that children need good food and upbringing. It is very important to pay attention to what the child should eat? Because if we give them good food, they can grow up healthy. I think a child needs time to play, explain what he wants and dream about.
Thank you for this program. It helps us to learn new words and listen to native speakers
Feed him healthy food, take care of his heartfelt emotions, and teach him well
Yes, I was a healthy child
First thanks alot for ur great informations .
I think the best way to be be a healthy and happy is love
The important thing from all this is to have an emotionally stable family
parents who love one another the problems ruin the child even if he has toys and healthy food
and medical care
The best way to get healthy life to young children it sport exercise and read book and leave the phone and focus on self development
I think the best way is love try to give them a lot of love and interesting fillings and i think too.about good hopis.like self learning and reading books.and I don’t know bye
First I would like to be thank you for the program .
Second , I think the most important this is to give them love and make sure they are in a safe place.
In my opinion there are many ways the first one is giving child space to express his feelings and spending enough quality time with child , in addition to the parents have to monitor themselves because as we know that the children love imitating their parents .
Yes , I was
I think the most important thing helps a child live a health life is the safe place where the war destroy everything , destroy all people on the ground.
in my country Syria the war made most people homeless ,they are without food, water, shelter and education.
the most people in my country emigrated to another country search of food and safe.
I think the best way to be healthy as a young child is rise rhe time of activity and enogh exercis. The young shold hop, jump and playing the fotbool. However the healthy of the young child is depend on eating enough food that full of protiens and vitamins.
My mother told me that I used to go to the hospital often when I was young. When I was young, I have to have ear surgery because my ear has ganglia. Besides my eyes is sometimes weep. So I also must meet a doctor. I think this is a congenital symptom when you were born.
I believe that in order for children to be healthy at a young age, they must follow a sensible regimen and receive adequate nutrition. Another important factor is that they must be involved. Playing and running helps them become more powerful and intelligent. Many parents are following the current trend of wrapping their children in cotton wool more, making them passive, and preventing them from learning to be independent. It’s a drag when they reach adulthood. When my parents gave birth to my younger brother, I witnessed my parents frequently allowing him to be active and interact with many other children in the neighborhood, which I thought was wonderful. He can fight with others if the fights are minor scuffles, such as a fight over toys, in which case adults will not intervene. They even hope that their children will have the courage to do it one day. Because they do it, it is likely that their children’s brains will function more efficiently.
My upbringing was not healthy, and it is possible that my environment has influenced my character. I had some bad friends, and my school was often violent, so I had to take precautions to keep myself safe. I’m filled with remorse since I never learned how to make myself better when I was a youngster; maybe my son will be better than I am in the future; I have faith in that.
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To be a father or a mother that request many things to know about . I think provide a good environment for the baby is the most important things
Hi, spotlights, thanks for this article, also i think help child of talk about emotional, maybe after back from school, or after playing.
I think the parents most do one important thing it is don’t gave their child the phone because this is too much Dangerous
I think the best way to be healthy as a young child is to drink enough milk, avoid watching TV, and run to be more fit.
I was not very healthy when I was a child, but I did many good things, such as playing football and eating vegetables.
The best way to be healthy as a young child depends on healthy food to contain for expensive soursses of protin like eggs,meat and calsioum like milk it’s very principal because It help the body of young child for growing and also child practise many activities to help him to build a strong body. In addion, yes I have a good healthy when I was young child because perents save and preserve myself in all damage.
I don’t think so if i was healthy child but the important thing is now i’m a healthy person and often do some exercise with cardio and eating healthy food as possible as i can
I think it is by doing excercise and eating healthy.
Yes.
This program is useful for me, to help my child have a healthy childhood. Parents need to teach with their words and their actions. Thanks a lot.
Yes I were healthy child. The best way to be healthy child it is talk with your parents and play with them , finally If u have a question you should ask your parents !