Parent Hub: Grow Well SG - Supporting Your Child

Support your child with Grow Well SG—learn tips on behaviour, healthy habits, and working with caregivers and schools.

Parent Hub: Grow Well SG - Supporting Your Child

Illustration of parents giving children piggyback rides outdoors, smiling together in a playful family moment.

Understanding and managing your child’s behaviour

Creating a strong bond with your child is key to helping them feel loved and supported.

As our children grow, they develop new social and emotional skills at different ages. For school-age kids, this is a time when they start feeling proud of their achievements and abilities. They also face new challenges at school, both socially and academically. When they succeed, it boosts their confidence; when they struggle, it can make them feel uncertain or inadequate.

Illustration of parents giving children piggyback rides outdoors, smiling together in a playful family moment.
Illustration of an adult explaining healthy habits to two children, with icons representing exercise, food, sleep, and screen use.

Initiatives at School

Children spend a significant portion of their time at school. To help them develop a strong foundation for a healthy life, schools have initiatives in place promoting healthy behaviours. Understanding these initiatives can provide you with valuable insights into their daily routine and help you better support and complement their healthy habits at home.

Let's take a closer look at these initiatives!

Illustration of an adult explaining healthy habits to two children, with icons representing exercise, food, sleep, and screen use.

Snack and recess times are two key opportunities for your child to practise healthy eating daily. Through the Healthy Meals in School Programme (HMSP), your child has access to healthy food options at school. Here’s how you can help your child make and stick to healthy choices:

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Snack time

Pack wholesome snacks for your child to munch on during their 10–15-minute breaks. Whole fruits, baked nuts, or whole-grain crackers are all delicious and nutritious.

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Recess time

Encourage your child to choose from the healthier set meals in the school canteen instead of less nutritious snacks during their 30-minute break.

Support your child by

  1. Encouraging and praising him or her, focusing on effort over outcome

  2. Promoting a sense of competence

Children who receive little or no encouragement from parents, teachers or peers may doubt their abilities to succeed. It's important to keep cheering them on and praising their efforts. Your support will help them believe in themselves and feel capable of succeeding.

Parents and a child standing together.

How can I encourage positive behaviour through role modelling?

Children learn by example—what they see, they do. As a parent, you play a key role in shaping your child’s habits and lifestyle, especially with growing concerns about childhood obesity and health. Parenting isn’t perfect; both you and your child will face ups and downs. Be kind to yourself, stay focused on your values, and keep working to align your actions with your parenting goals.
Parents turning a skipping rope while two children jump and play together outdoors.
Parents and child holding hands while moving together in a playful, active moment.
Learn more at Parenting for Wellness

For more information, read up on Parenting for Wellness module 1: Understanding yourself as a parent.

What can you do when you engage caregivers?

Two grandparents watching as two children run toward them.

Discuss and align care expectations around healthy eating, physical activities, screen time and sleep with your caregivers. You can discuss topics such as:


  • Child’s food preferences, allergies, dietary requirements and portion size.
  • Offer food options with the Healthier Choice Symbol and Nutri-Grade labelling, and opt for healthier cooking methods when preparing food for your child.
  • Healthier food choices when eating out.
  • Limits on unhealthy food and snacking.

Maintain an open communication with caregivers to discuss challenges in caring for your child is important for aligning values and practices. For example, having regular check-ins to identify and resolve any barriers or concerns they may have.

Collaborate with caregivers to create a weekly meal plan that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, lean meat and wholegrains in your child’s diet.

Provide a list of activities that your caregivers can use to guide your child for outdoor play or indoor exercises on a weekly basis.

Managing differing opinions

There may be instances when caregivers might have differing opinions in areas such as:

Disciplinary methods

You may prefer more positive reinforcement or time-outs, while caregivers may believe in using more traditional discipline.

Meals/snacks

You might be stricter in limiting unhealthy snacks and drinks, while caregivers might give in easily to your child.

TV/Screen time

You may set stricter limits on screen time, prioritising educational content, while caregivers may allow more screen time to keep your child occupied.

Caregiver kneeling and holding a child’s hand, showing care and support during a close interaction.
Each of us has different ways of raising a child.

It is important for you to work together with caregivers to manage disagreements as soon as they come up to prevent misunderstandings and unnecessary escalation of issues.

Be calm and speak gently when discussing disagreements with caregivers. Listen to their views.

Caregiver kneeling and holding a child’s hand, showing care and support during a close interaction.

What can grandparents do?

If you are a grandparent, you may find more resources and activities for caregivers here.

Family enjoying tea together, with a child pouring a drink and grandparents beside a cake on the table.

Reinforcing School Initiatives at Home

While schools promote healthy habits by encouraging children to choose nutritious food and providing healthier options in the canteen, parents can also reinforce these healthy habits at home to amplify their impact. Here’s how:

Nutrition

Mother and child preparing a salad together, smiling while mixing vegetables in the kitchen.

Chat with your child about their favourite healthy snacks and fun food choices for recess. Encourage them to pick a colourful mix of fruits and vegetables. This playful approach helps them learn about nutrition and feel excited to make smart and healthy choices!

Pack a diverse selection of healthier snacks like vegetable sticks, baked nuts or cut fruits for your child's snack time. Look for products with the Healthier Choice Symbol to ensure you're giving your child the best!

When preparing meals at home, add extra servings of fruits and vegetables. Whether it’s preparing a colourful side salad, sneaking vegetables into their favourite dishes, or serving fruit as a delectable dessert, these additions can make a big difference. Here are some healthy recipe ideas to awaken the Master Chef in you.

By consistently eating and enjoying wholegrains, fruit and vegetables yourself, you set a positive example for your children to look up to. Your dedication to healthy eating will inspire them to adopt similar habits.

Physical Activity

Children running and playing outdoors with their parents, smiling and chasing along a park path.

Encourage your child to make physical activity a part of their everyday life. This could be as simple as brisk walking to and from school, playing outdoor games with friends, or taking the stairs instead of the lift.

Organise outdoor activities that the whole family can enjoy, such as playing frisbee, going for bike rides, or exploring trails together. These activities not only help keep your child active, but also strengthen family bonds and create lasting memories.

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