Look after your child spend time with them
Cleanliness is half of faith. This beautiful Islamic teaching reminds us that cleanliness is not only about looking good; it is also about developing healthy habits and respecting our bodies, our homes, and the people around us.
When we talk about children’s health and beauty, we should think beyond skin, clothes, or appearance. A healthy child needs cleanliness, nutritious food, good sleep, education, physical activity, emotional support, good friendships, and a peaceful family environment. Parents, teachers, and children all have an important role to play in building a child’s healthy future.
Why Parents Play Such an Important Role
Parents are a child’s first teachers.
Children learn many habits by watching their parents. They observe how we eat, sleep, communicate, use our phones, treat other people, handle stress, and spend our free time.
That is why parents should try to create a balanced environment at home.
Parents should pay attention to:
- Healthy and balanced meals
- Regular sleeping times
- Personal cleanliness
- School and education
- Friendships
- Outdoor activities
- Screen and mobile-phone use
- Emotional wellbeing
- Family communication
- A peaceful home atmosphere
Parents should also follow appropriate advice from qualified doctors, teachers, counselors, or other professionals when a child needs additional support.
Never Fight in Front of Children
One point I consider extremely important is the emotional environment at home. Parents may disagree. Every family has problems sometimes. But children can be deeply affected when they regularly see intense arguments, shouting, insults, or hostility between adults. Try to solve serious disagreements privately and calmly. Children need to feel that home is a safe place. Instead of allowing children to become part of adult conflicts, parents can teach them:
“Problems can be solved through communication, patience, and respect.”
If a child is showing persistent sadness, anxiety, major changes in behavior, withdrawal, sleep problems, or difficulty functioning at home or school, parents should consider talking to an appropriately qualified health or mental-health professional.
Children Need More Than a Mobile Phone
Technology is now part of everyday life.
I am not against mobile phones, computers, social media, online education, or artificial intelligence. We need technology to learn, communicate, research, work, and develop new skills.
The problem begins when technology takes over too much of a child’s day.
A child who spends most of the day sitting with a phone may have less time for:
- Football
- Swimming
- Walking
- Running
- Cycling
- Outdoor games
- Family conversation
- Reading
- Creative activities
- Face-to-face friendships
Children need movement and real-world experiences.
There is nothing wrong with children enjoying games, but parents should make sure digital entertainment does not replace physical activity, sleep, education, family time, and healthy friendships.
AI Is a Tool Not Something We Need 24 Hours a Day
Artificial intelligence has become a powerful learning tool.
ChatGPT and other AI platforms can help students and adults:
- Understand difficult subjects
- Research topics
- Practice writing
- Correct mistakes
- Generate ideas
- Learn new skills
- Organize information
- Save time on routine tasks
But AI should be treated as a tool, not as a replacement for thinking.
No child should be encouraged to use AI for everything.
Students should first try to understand a problem, think about possible answers, and then use AI as a learning assistant.
For example, instead of asking AI to complete an entire homework assignment, a student could ask:
“Please explain this concept to me and then give me five questions so I can test myself.”
That approach develops skills rather than dependency. The same principle applies to social media and other digital platforms.
Use technology. Don’t let technology use all of your time.
The Teacher’s Role Is Extremely Important
Parents cannot do everything alone.
Teachers have a major influence on children’s education, confidence, discipline, and learning habits.
Teachers can encourage children to think rather than simply memorize.
Some useful approaches include:
- Short quizzes
- Surprise tests
- Classroom discussions
- Practical activities
- Reading exercises
- Questions and answers
- Group projects
- Presentations
- Creative assignments
- Regular feedback
A teacher should also encourage students to make mistakes and learn from them. The goal should not be to make children afraid of getting an answer wrong.
The goal should be to teach them:
“If you make a mistake, understand it, correct it, and try again.”
My Family’s Simple Approach
I also want to share something from my own family experience. I asked my wife to help limit the children’s mobile-phone use and pay attention to a balanced diet. At the same time, I focused more on their outdoor activities.
We try to give them opportunities to:
- Swim
- Play football
- Spend time outdoors
- Study every day
- Eat balanced meals
- Sleep properly
- Spend time with family
I have also tried to reduce unnecessary phone use in my own life. For me, the phone is a tool. I use it when I need it, but I don’t want it to control my entire day.
This is something parents should remember:
Children copy what they see.
If we constantly use our phones while telling our children to put theirs away, our message becomes weaker.
A Simple Family Timetable
Every family is different, so there is no single timetable that works for everyone. But having a routine can help children understand when it is time to study, play, eat, relax, and sleep.
A simple example could be:
Morning
- Wake up
- Personal hygiene
- Exercise or movement
- Healthy breakfast
- School
Afternoon
- Lunch
- Rest
- Homework or study
4:00–5:00 pm
- Study and reading time
5:00–6:00 pm
- Outdoor play, football, swimming, walking, or another physical activity
Evening
- Family time
- Dinner
- Prepare for the next day
- Quiet activities
Night
- Reduce screen use
- Personal hygiene
- Sleep at a suitable time
Children need enough sleep for their age. Rather than forcing every child into exactly the same bedtime, parents should establish a consistent routine appropriate to the child’s age and needs.
Food: Keep It Simple and Balanced
Children need nutritious food to grow and learn.
A healthy family diet can include:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- Milk or suitable alternatives
- Eggs
- Beans and lentils
- Fish or other healthy protein sources
- Nuts where age-appropriate and safe
- Adequate water
Try not to make highly processed snacks and sugary drinks the main part of a child’s diet. Food should not become a source of fear or unnecessary restriction. Children need variety and balance.
Cleanliness Should Become a Daily Habit
This brings me back to where I started:
Cleanliness is half of faith.
Children should learn simple hygiene habits from an early age.
Teach them to:
- Wash their hands regularly
- Wash hands before eating
- Wash hands after using the bathroom
- Brush their teeth regularly
- Keep their nails clean and trimmed
- Wear clean clothes
- Keep their school items clean
- Cover coughs and sneezes appropriately
- Keep their rooms and surroundings reasonably clean
- Bathe regularly according to their needs and activities
A shower or bath after sports or heavy sweating can be helpful. However, bathing twice every day is not necessary for every child; bathing needs can depend on age, activity, weather, skin type, and medical advice.
The important lesson is not simply “take more baths.”
It is:
“Make cleanliness part of everyday life.”
Parents, Teachers and Children: A Three-Way Partnership
A child’s development is strongest when parents, teachers, and children work together.
Parents
Parents can provide:
- Love
- Healthy routines
- Discipline
- Nutrition
- Emotional support
- Safe boundaries
- Educational encouragement
- Technology limits
- Opportunities for physical activity
Teachers
Teachers can provide:
- Education
- Encouragement
- Assessment
- Discipline
- Social learning
- Critical thinking
- Feedback
- Opportunities to discover talents
Children
Children also have responsibilities.
They can learn to:
- Respect parents and teachers
- Keep themselves clean
- Eat responsibly
- Study regularly
- Play and exercise
- Sleep on time
- Use technology wisely
- Choose good friends
- Ask questions
- Admit mistakes
- Keep learning
Why Are Some Children Struggling With Mental Well being?
There is no single answer.
Children can experience emotional or mental-health difficulties for many reasons, including family stress, school pressure, bullying, loneliness, sleep problems, social relationships, major life changes, excessive or unhealthy technology use, and other personal or developmental factors.
This is why parents should avoid blaming themselves or their children.
Instead, observe the child and listen.
Ask:
“Are you okay?”
And more importantly:
“Do you want to talk about what is bothering you?”
Sometimes a child doesn’t need another lecture. They need someone to listen. If difficulties persist or interfere with daily life, professional help can be important.
10 Practical Tips for Parents
- Create a regular family routine.
- Make cleanliness a daily habit.
- Encourage balanced meals.
- Protect children’s sleep.
- Make time for outdoor activity.
- Set reasonable screen boundaries.
- Do not use phones during important family conversations.
- Avoid serious arguments in front of children.
- Talk to children every day not only about school.
- Be the example you want your children to follow.
10 Tips for Children
- Keep your body and surroundings clean.
- Eat a variety of nutritious foods.
- Drink enough water.
- Sleep regularly.
- Exercise and play outdoors.
- Don’t spend all day on your phone.
- Study before entertainment when possible.
- Choose supportive and respectful friends.
- Tell a trusted adult when something is seriously bothering you.
- Use AI and technology to learn not to stop thinking.
10 Tips for Teachers
- Give regular short quizzes.
- Use surprise tests when appropriate.
- Encourage questions.
- Teach students how to think critically.
- Help students learn from mistakes.
- Encourage reading.
- Include physical and practical activities where appropriate.
- Watch for major changes in a student’s behavior.
- Communicate concerns appropriately with parents or school professionals.
- Teach responsible use of technology and AI.
Final Message to Parents
We cannot remove every problem from our children’s lives.
But we can give them a strong foundation.
- A clean environment.
- Healthy food.
- Good sleep.
- Physical activity.
- Education.
- Positive friendships.
- Family love.
- Responsible technology use.
- And most importantly, time with their parents.
I believe parents should not only ask, “What did my child learn at school today?”
We should also ask:
- “Did my child play today?”
- “Did my child sleep well?”
- “Did my child eat properly?”
- “Did my child spend too much time on a screen?”
- “Did my child have someone to talk to?”
- “Did my child feel loved and safe today?”
Children don’t need perfect parents.
They need parents who are present, who listen, who set healthy boundaries, and who are willing to learn and improve.
Technology can help us. AI can help us. Social media can connect us. But none of them can replace a parent’s love, a teacher’s guidance, a child’s own effort, and real human connection. Learn, Practice, Play, Think, Stay clean, Stay healthy, Stay connected.
