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Raising Healthy Kids

Last updated: February 8, 2023

Here you’ll find many ways to help you raise a healthy family: information about sun safety, preventing injuries, healthy eating, steering kids away from tobacco and more. But remember, the best source of information for your children is you. Be involved. Set a good example and teach your children healthy habits.

Below you’ll find information on:

Food Fuels FunHealthy Eating and Physical Activity

It’s easy to learn (or remind yourself) about the guidelines for eating healthy and living healthy: nutrition, hydration and foods that fuel.

Healthy Celebrations, Fundraising and Rewards – Promote a healthy eating environment at special events, celebrations, and fundraising activities at your school or club. Choose healthy rewards at school and home.

  • Celebrations – learn how to host a fun and healthy celebration that offers healthy alternatives to traditional party treats.
  • Rewards – rather than using unhealthy food as a reward, choose healthy rewards at school and home.
  • Fundraising – focus fundraising efforts on ways to support the well-being of children and their loved ones with nutritious foods or alternatives to food sales.
  • Tasting Event Planning Guide: Check out this guide to learn about hosting a successful fruit and vegetable tasting event at your school.
  • Hydration Station/Fuel Stop: A quick and fun flier to download with information about keeping kids hydrated and fueled with healthy snacks.
  • Busy Families Can Be Healthy Families: This downloadable flier helps you plan healthy school breakfasts, snacks, lunches and activities with handy checklists.
  • Cafeteria Connection: This sheet helps you teach your child to select healthy foods in the school lunch line.
  • Let’s Talk About… Raising Healthy Children: A downloadable tip sheet with advice about how to talk to children and teach them healthy behaviors.
  • Let’s Talk About… The Media and Your Child: A downloadable tip sheet with advice about how to talk to children about advertising.

Healthy Ways to Family Fitness: A newsletter promoting children’s health.

Tobacco Prevention

Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation

Here’s help for keeping kids and teens away from tobacco, smoking and vaping. If they already smoke, here’s how to help them stop. These sites and downloads have facts, advice, activities and information.

  • Nicotine Free Week Website: A website dedicated to the annual Nicotine Free Week event held in Anne Arundel County. This site provides resources for planning a new event, and learning the latest about tobacco and electronic smoking devices (ESD).
  • Don’t Let Us Get Hooked: Resource guide for parents about tobacco prevention and cessation for kids and teens.
  • Smoke Free Home Rule Fact Sheet: A fact sheet with information about the dangers of secondhand and thirdhand smoke and how to protect your family.
  • Tobacco Sales Training: Own a business that sells tobacco? Here are materials to help you make sure you’re in compliance with the law.
  • Nicotine Free Week Planning Tips: This page has helpful planning ideas to make your event a success!

Sun Safety

Sun Safety

Protecting yourself and your family from sun exposure is important. Make sure your family knows the basics of sun safety.

Playing It Safe


Injury Prevention

Having kids almost always means bumps, bruises and boo-boos. But you can take a few simple steps to prevent accidents and keep children safe from injury.

Injury Prevention During Infancy

Injury Prevention During Childhood

Coach's Clipboard

Sports Health

Sports are a great way for kids to make friends, stay fit and have fun. Below is information on how to make every sports experience a fun and safe one.

  • Hydration Station/Fuel Stop: A quick and fun flier to download with info about keeping kids hydrated and fueled with good foods.
  • Coach’s Clipboard: A downloadable newsletter written for coaches and adults that talks about children’s health in sports. The newsletter has advice on avoiding injuries, what to do in emergencies, outdoor safety, good nutrition and more.
Teen Health

Teen Health

The teenage years are a time for learning about and coping with adult issues. Here are several resources to help teens and parents talk about important health issues such as STDs and pregnancy prevention.

Childcare Activities

Childcare Activities and Tips

Whether you are a day care provider, teacher, babysitter or parent, these activities and tips can help you talk to
your children, plan fun activities and keep
them safe.

Childcare Newsletters

Childcare Newsletters

Building Blocks addresses current health topics. It includes a companion newsletter that can be copied and distributed to families at your childcare program.

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