How To Get Kids To Drink More Water

Keeping kids hydrated can be hard work but here’s my tips on how you can get them to drink more water throughout the day!

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After “how can I get my kids to eat more vegetables”, (The answer to that question is HERE),  the next most common question I get asked by friends and readers is “how can I get my kids to drink more water”.

Children need a water intake of between 6 and 8 glasses of a day but it can often be a struggle to get that much into them. 

So I wanted to share my own personal tips on how to make water fun and get your kids sipping on that H2O throughout the day.

1. Make Water Fun!

Lets face it, plain water can be pretty bland to young tastebuds, especially when they are tempted by so many colourful sugary drinks, soft drinks, sports drinks and fruit juices on the market. 

So inject a little bit of fun into it by using bright and fun cups and silly straws.

My daughter has a selection of different water bottles for school so I let her choose which one she wants to use each day.

Let your kids chose a special cup, reusable water bottle or if you have younger children, a special sippy cup.

Even as an adult, I love to have a selection special water bottles to drink from and they do honestly encourage me to drink more water! And the same is true for older kids.

Lots of kids like adding ice cubes to their drinks, so fill ice cube trays with water and add small pieces of frozen fruits to each compartment to make the ice cubes even more fun.

This can also add a hint of flavour making it slightly more palatable if they really don’t enjoy plain water.

Or if making fun ice cubes doesn’t rock their world, then you can always just add slices of fruit to their glass or cup to make it a little bit more exciting!

2. Around The House! 

This tip may sound strange but have water available to your kids all day long.

When we are at home my kids have several cups or beakers around the house meaning whatever room they are playing in they can easily reach for a sip of water.

Kids get so engrossed in their play they often won’t want to break away to go get a drink, so keep one close by at all times and you may find they naturally drink more.

3. Out & About!

I never leave the house without a bottle of water with me, even if its just to do the school run!

Encouraging kids to take small little sips of water will help to keep them hydrated throughout the day and better able to concentrate and focus in school.

This is especially important on days where they may be doing lots of physical activity like P.E. at school.

I always keep a couple of kid-friendly bottles in the car, meaning I’m never caught short on a long journey.

And on days that my children does after school activities, I make sure to pack an extra bottle of water for them. Any type of bottles with sports caps are very handy for this!

4. Water At Meal Times!

We have a rule in our house that we only drink water with our meals. This helps the kids to meet their daily water requirements but also aids digestion of food.

If we eat out we might allow the kids to have a fruit juice as a treat but even then we always encourage them to drink a glass of water as well.

And you can always ask the waiter or waitress if they would add a fun straw for them!

5. A Good Role Models 

As with nutrition and learning about healthy habits, children will often follow by example, so seeing you and the rest of your family drinking lots of water, can really help them to develop healthy hydration habits. 

6. Hydration in Extreme Heat

Whilst drinking plenty of water is important all year round, it is even more important in extreme summer heat.

So in addition to the tips above, serving water-rich foods can really help in making sure they are taking in enough water.

Especially important if you have active children that love running about all over the place despite the heat!

If you wanted some more information on foods that have a high water content, then check out What To Feed Kids During a Heatwave for some ideas.

Do you have any more tips for getting kids to drink more water? I’d love to hear the tricks you use!

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also enjoy the following articles:

Five Genius Ways To Keep Packed Lunches Cool

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​25 Of The Best Healthy Summer Snacks For Kids

If you liked my tips for Getting Kids To Drink More Water, then please do let me know what you think. Or tag me Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!

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