When kids are taught healthy habits at a young age, they are more apt to carry on those habits as adults. The basics of good nutrition, regular exercise, and getting annual wellness check-ups are the building blocks to enjoying a high quality and long life as an adult.

The annual observance of Every Kid Healthy Week in April started in 2013 to shine a spotlight on efforts to improve the wellness of kids. The week focuses on nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and learning. Although initially designed to celebrate the efforts to help kids while in school, the observance has expanded to encourage families and communities to take an active role by organizing and participating in larger inclusive events.

Every Kid Healthy Week in 2022

This year Every Kid Healthy Week will take place from April 25 to 29. Action for Healthy Kids breaks down each day of the week with a special focus. The idea is to check every box, cover all aspects of holistic health, and accomplish wellness achievements. The list of days includes:

• Mindful Monday, where kids learn about social and emotional health.
• Tasty Tuesday, where kids learn about nutrition and ways to fuel the body with healthy foods.
• Wellness Wednesday, which teaches kids about self-care strategies.
• Thoughtful Thursday, which allows kids to focus on their relationship skills and social awareness.
• Fitness Friday, where kids engage in physical activity and active play.

Ways to Observe Every Kid Healthy Week

Everyone is encouraged to join in to help observe Every Kid Healthy Week because everyone can benefit from the activities and learnings offered this week. Students, parents, educators, families, community members, and businesses are all needed to make the week a success.

Think about doing the following at school, at home and in the community

Organize a week full of activities. Include fun games like football, basketball, and races. Reward people to simply get moving rather than who wins. Because when you're active, everyone wins.

Plan a family fitness night to extend the healthy fun from school to home. This will allow the entire family to learn more about the importance of physical fitness.

Do a healthy food taste test with kids to find healthy foods they like. You can even incorporate their top choices into meal planning. Encourage them to pick fruits and vegetables that turn their plates into a rainbow of color.

Take your kids on a smell safari at a produce store. See if they're able to identify the healthy foods by their smell.

Host a health and wellness fair at school and invite the community. This can be a great way to share information with students, staff, families, and the community about healthy habits.

Join the Every Kid Healthy Movement

Ensuring every kid is healthy will require more than just a week of action. It's a movement that must have attention all year. Start raising awareness by sharing your ways of encouraging kids to be healthy on social media through #EveryKidHealthyWeek and #TakeAction4HealthyKids.