Your teen’s real report card: Food, fitness, and finance

In the classroom, your teen may strive for As—but straight Fs matter, too: food, fitness, and finance. Good habits in these areas form part of an invisible life curriculum that will shape their adulthood. Instilling these values today doesn’t just build your teen’s health. These three Fs also shape their future confidence, identity, and independence.

1) Food: Building a healthy relationship with diet

From TikTok fads to peer pressure, your teen’s relationship with food can get complicated quickly. Research shows that busy schedules, the convenience of fast food, and shifting habits often lead to a decline in diet quality in adolescence. And if that happens, the pattern often continues into adulthood. 

But helping teens build healthy eating habits isn’t strictly about teaching them how to read nutritional labels. Rather, it comes down to food literacy. Research shows that with better food literacy, teens eat better now and are set up for a healthier adulthood.

Food literacy 101: It’s about more than what’s on the plate

Scholars define food literacy as the ability to have the confidence, knowledge, and food skills (such as how to plan, shop for, and prepare meals) to build a positive relationship with food.

“The relationship with food matters more than the nutrition facts,” explains clinical psychologist Maxim von Sabler. Teens who grasp even the basics, such as how to make a healthy meal with the food available in their kitchen (a skill that fewer than a third of Canadian teens possess), begin to see food as a tool rather than a mystery. 

They then start to notice patterns, such as the afternoon sluggishness following a fast-food snack versus the steadier energy that comes from a healthy, balanced meal. “It’s helpful to instill the idea that food choices help us become stronger, leaner, faster, smarter, healthier, and happier,” says Meridan Zerner, RDN. “These are the words I use as a preventive wellness dietitian when I [work with kids].”

That awareness builds confidence. Instead of relying on the latest diet trends or influencers, your teen learns to make food decisions based on how their own body responds. 

Build autonomy, not control

Let your teens take charge. Fewer than half of Canadian teens prepare their own school lunches. 

“Teens who help cook are more likely to actually eat what’s in front of them,” says Allison Lane, MD. “Food literacy isn’t about clean-eating culture. It’s about curiosity. Let them make mistakes in the kitchen. That’s how confidence gets built.”

Adds von Sabler: “Teens who feel controlled around eating often develop rigid or chaotic patterns that follow them into adulthood. When families involve teens in choosing and preparing meals, they’re really practising decision-making and tolerating imperfection—both core psychological skills.”

Model it

Parents don’t just pass down knowledge and food education. Researchers have found that teens “inherit” dietary habits from their parents through social cues, too.

“We need to talk about it with our teens,” says Zerner. “We need to model it. We need to involve our young people in shopping, cooking, and other food decisions as one of the most practical and powerful ways to translate nutrition into real life. This taps into the all-important idea of ‘self-efficacy.’”

Says Zerner: “The more kids know, the greater their experiences and skills, and the more capable they are of navigating a pretty complex landscape.”

2) Fitness: Redefining exercise for teens

“Movement is one of the most powerful tools for supporting teen health physically and mentally,” says Zerner. 

Consider that one in five teens experiences mental health concerns. Regular exercise has been shown to improve brain development, enhance mental well-being, cultivate resilience to stress, and reduce the risks of mental health problems.

Regular movement also strengthens your teen’s bones, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases, and supports healthier blood pressure levels and other general markers of wellness.

But if you ask your teenager, “What does fitness mean?”, you may hear different answers: changing their body, going to the gym, or excelling at a specific sport. For some youths, these definitions are inspiring. For many other teens, they’re intimidating or discouraging.

“I prefer the term ‘movement’ over exercise in encouraging adolescent fitness,” notes Zerner, “because some teens seem to identify exercise with punishment or work versus regular movement, which can be shooting hoops with friends, swimming in the summer for fun, or biking to the coffee shop.” 

Consistency over intensity

There’s a common misconception that fitness must be intense to be effective. With your teen, strive for repetition over exhaustion. 

“From a physical standpoint, consistent activity supports optimal growth and development as it improves cardiovascular fitness and supports metabolic health,” explains Zerner. “Adolescents [should] get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily.”

Make it social

Teens are more likely to stay active when movement is social and enjoyable.

“Movement can have a social component, whether through a team sport, group class, or even biking with friends,” says Zerner. “Sometimes, parents have to facilitate that activity by getting kids to the club soccer team practice or instituting the family dog walk after dinner.”

Not every teen identifies as an “athlete,” and that’s okay. Expanding the definition of movement to include their favourite pastimes, such as hiking or dancing, helps your teen see themself as capable of being active. Your goal isn’t to create the next NHL superstar but to help your child find a way to move that feels accessible and rewarding.

3) Finance: Money habits start young

A recent study found that 84 percent of Canadian adults wish they received more financial education in their youth. And teens agree. Most high school students report wanting to know more about finances and budgeting, with nearly half already curious about saving for retirement. 

Financially literate teens grow up feeling more independent about their money. Financial literacy also empowers them to experience less financial stress in the future and helps them make intentional life decisions. “Financial education should be a crucial and compulsory part of our students’ education,” reports the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education, citing the link “between financial health/well-being and general and mental health/well-bring.”

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development agrees. “Higher financial literacy is associated with more responsible financial behaviours, such as having a longer-term and more proactive approach to money,” it states. “Financially literate students are more likely to save, less likely to overspend, and less likely to report buying something because their friends did.”

Canada has better financial literacy than many other countries, but the quality and depth of financial education in schools varies from province to province. In fact, one in five students gets their financial tips from social media, where misinformation runs rampant. 

Money habits form early. Being able to save now rather than chase instant gratification and recognizing the difference between intentional and impulsive spending are the building blocks for a strong economic future. 

The four pillars: Earn, save, spend, understand

“Young people today are making financial decisions in a far more complex environment than previous generations,” Wendi Campbell, CEO of JA British Columbia, tells the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. “If we want them to succeed, financial literacy can’t be left to chance. It needs to be taught early and reinforced in our classrooms.” 

Yet the board notes that, despite a more complicated financial landscape, the basics still hold true: teens need to know how to use their judgment and understand “saving and spending, borrowing and risk, and short-term versus long-term planning.”

Earn

More than a third of parents wish their teens were more financially independent. 

“Getting a part-time job is a great way to start,” recommends Stacey Chin, CFP, ChFC. Small jobs or gigs build responsibility and ownership and create that critical effort-reward connection for teens. “Parents then have an opening to help teens to budget, introduce them to taxes, and help them develop a real respect for what they earn.”

Save

Nearly nine out of 10 parents think their teens need better budgeting skills. Now is the time to introduce them to short- and long-term goals and to find ways to make saving rewarding and tangible.

“If a kid gets $5 a week and can choose a small Starbucks now or wait 13 weeks to get a game for their Xbox, this money is now translated into their terms and their life,” says investor Jonathan Greene. “It doesn’t seem so ‘adult’ anymore. Teen years are the perfect time because they are still under a roof that is paid for, but the most important thing about the knowledge is really the open dialogue about money.”

Accountability is key, too. “Set up regular times to track progress and celebrate milestones,” suggests Chen. “This again allows for conversations about money, so learning doesn’t get lost in the day-to-day.”

Spend

Six out of 10 parents want their children to develop better spending habits. 

Chin suggests putting real decision making in your teen’s hands. “Give them a set monthly amount to manage on their own,” she suggests, “or put them in charge of budgeting something specific like bedroom décor.”

This sort of decision-making is a skill that’s bigger than just finances.

“This is where executive functioning gets quietly built,” explains von Sabler. “Responsibility for a real task [such as] managing a small budget teaches sequencing, follow-through, and tolerating delayed reward,” he adds. “Those are the exact same cognitive skills that underpin academic performance, emotional regulation, and healthy relationships. The chore isn’t the point; the self-discipline it builds is.”

A parent’s report card: Raising capable teenagers

The three Fs of food, fitness, and finance may seem disconnected. But together, they give your teen an A+ in life, helping shape how your teen cares for themself, moves through the world, and responds to challenges. 

Much of this isn’t taught in the classroom but in the school of life, with you as the teacher. You can help empower your teen for a healthier, more successful future.

This article was originally published in the August 2026 issue of alive magazine.