How To Make Your Child’s Vision A Priority
This post is sponsored by Think About Your Eyes however the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
By now, most kids are out of school for the summer, and with the warmth comesthe opportunity to enjoyoutdoor play. Izzy lives to be outside in the garden, playing on the playground, swimming in the pool, writing with chalk or riding her scooter or balance bike. In addition toall the outdoor play, it’s also a great time to think about your child’s vision and making that a priority. Maybe without homework and all the extras that come with school,you can find time to reflect on your child’s vision and how to protect it. Did you know 80% of everything your child learns, comes through their eyes!? This is why I wanted to share a few ways to make your child’s vision a priority this summer,and hopefully you can continue these throughout the school year.
#1 Make Wearing Hats And Sunglasses A Priority When Outside
#2 Prepare Healthy Meals And Snacks
These foods all have vitamins that can help promote good eye health: fish, leafy greens, whole grains, citrus fruits and berries, nuts, colorful fruits and vegetables and legumes.
Two easy ways to incorporate these foods into the diet of a picky child is with smoothies or ice pops. I love to make smoothies with fresh fruit, spinach, and I’ll even freeze some banana chunks to use in the smoothie. I blend it all up and serve as a smoothie or put into ice pop makers and freeze.
#3 Encourage Playing With Games Or Toys That Promote Hand Eye Coordination
Encourage good eyesight with activities and toys such as building or linking blocks, puzzles, stinging beads, and drawing with chalk. We love chalk play in the summer. I have Izzy practice tracing her name with chalk or I’ll draw shapes and she will color them in. I even break up chalk and put it in a cup with water to create chalk paint. Izzy enjoys using a bunch of different size brushes to draw and write.
#4 Schedule Comprehensive An Eye Exam
Have you heard about Think About Your Eyes? It’s a national public awareness campaign, which is dedicated to educatingthe public on vision health. It also promotesthe importance of getting an annual comprehensive eye exam. You can easily find a doctor near you and get yours set up on the Think About Your Eyes website.
When I taught special education, we always did hearing and vision screenings on children before testing them in other way,however this is not enough to catch all vision issues. This is because a vision impairment can interfere with learning. I also found this fact on Think About Your Eyes website: Sixty percent of students identified as problem learners have undetected vision problems.
Think About Your Eyes has over 19,000 eye doctors in support of this campaign. There is also a really cool dedicate feature on their website so people can find an eye doctor near them.
Go to ThinkAboutYourEyes.Com, enter your zip code in the orange and white box seen on the bottom left, then click on Find a Doctor Near Me.
I encourage you all to take your child for a comprehensive eye exam this summer.
XO Eryka
My kid just had their eye exams! SO important to stay on top of it!
Yes! So important! Good for you mama
OMG she’s just the cutest! We had Ari’s first eye exam this year and he was a trooper!
Thank you!☺️ yay! Go mama
Great tips. My daughter will always wear her sunnies, but my son takes them off when he’s playing. I need to work on making him wear them more.
Yes us too! Bucket hats help too when they won’t do sunnies!
Yes! A bucket hat or big rim hat helps too!
This reminds me I need to take my youngest for her first check up!
Yes! Definitely
For sure!! Yay
Their eye sight is such a gift! This is an awesome campaign and a reminder to stay on top of this!
I agree! We take it for granted often
It’s such a gift!
I need to schedule Parker’s appointment this summer before preschool starts. I have terrible vision so I want to make sure she’s good yearly! Such good tips.
Yes definitely go
This is a great reminder! I need to schedule something for my girls!!
Yes definitely
I am so glad you wrote about this!! Liam has worn glasses since he was 3, and I’m always telling people not to risk waiting!!
It’s so true!! I have had them since 5th grade, but prob needed them sooner. It was because I told my mom I had trouble in class & seeing signs in the car my sister could see & I couldn’t