In early childhood, children are extremely susceptible to the acquisition of habits and the establishment of health-promoting habits. Therefore, the patterns, routines, and rules transmitted and expected by the adults surrounding the child are of paramount importance and can correlate with the level of their health literacy. Our cross-sectional, quantitative, exploratory study aimed to examine the relationships between parental health literacy and preschool children’s health-related habits, using simple, non-random sampling (n = 598). In addition to the sociodemographic characteristics, the measuring tool we compiled included the standardized European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16), as well as a set of questions containing 30 statements suitable for exploring children’s habit systems. The health literacy of the parents involved in our study proved to be more favorable than that of the general population. Regarding children’s habit systems, we found significant differences in several areas by age group (p < 0.05) and gender (p < 0.05). The levels of parental health literacy (0.003 ≤ p ≤ 0.048) and parents’ education (p < 0.05) show a correlation with the children’s health-related habit systems: the indicators of children with parents who have a higher level of health literacy and a higher level of education are more favorable in terms of established habits. In the long term, the formation of health-promoting habits may facilitate the internalization of favorable health behavior motives for the future, contributing to the establishment of positive physical, mental, and social health in adulthood.

Adult health behavior is established and formed in childhood, in which, besides the primacy of the family, institutional education plays a significant role. The aim of our systematic review is to analyze health interventions implemented in an institutional environment for children aged 3–6 years. Our research was carried out according to the PRISMA 2020 protocol. The sample of research was determined by using the keywords “health education” or “health promotion” and “preschool” or “kindergarten” in Scopus, ERIC and WOS databases published between 2013 and 2022. Out of a total of 1535 results, 14 proved to be relevant to the eligibility criteria of the study topic. Cochrane Risk of Bias criteria were used for critical appraisal and to limit bias. The majority of the analyzed studies focused on physical activity and nutrition, including the issues of sedentary time, obesity and sustainability. The holistic approach is less typical in the interventions reviewed, with a marginal occurrence of topics related to mental and social health, as well as risk behavior. The interventions proved to be more effective when parents were involved, and the varied, age-appropriate game-based activities also contributed to the formation of health-supporting habits.

Nowadays, health has become an important value, which can be interpreted both on an individual and social level. From the point of view of laying the foundation for a healthy life path, the early years of life are of particular importance, because the health-supportive habits learned during the period before school age have a long-term effect. In the early years of life, the child spends a significant amount of time in both formal and informal educational arenas, so it is important that they support the child in establishing a healthy lifestyle with their uniform educational effect. In order to be able to implement differentiated education as a teacher, in which the formation of the child’s health literacy plays a prominent role, it is essential to get acquainted with the child’s family’s education and care practices and habits. In the spring of 2023, we conducted a pilot study with the participation of 10 mothers, in the framework of which we used semi-structured interviews to find out what kind of child raise and care practices and habits characterize the everyday life of families bringing up young children, what the mothers’ health literacy is like, how healthy lifestyle education is carried out in the family and what role and tasks parents and grandparents have in these life situations.