Food
Keep track of what your child is eating. Most kids would rather buy junk food at school than bring a healthy lunch from home.
1) Encourage your child to eat a balanced breakfast before school. Serving fruit with breakfast, buy cereals with limited sugar, and try some new healthy recipes from diet.com: http://www.diet.com/member/recipetool.php
2) Buy your child a reusable water bottle to help them stay hydrated. It will come in especially handy during after-school activities.
3) Discuss the lunch schedules with your child and decide what days they would like to bring food from home as an alternative to hot lunch.
4) Buy healthy food that you can turn into snacks during your grocery shopping trip such as vegetable sticks or peanut butter and crackers.
5) Restrict your child’s soda and juice drinks. These drinks don’t provide any nutritional value or satisfy hunger, which may lead to your child eating more to satisfy their hunger and exceeding their recommended calorie limit.
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Backpacks
A child’s backpack organizes and transports all materials needed for the day.
It is important to purchase a quality backpack and teach your kids how to wear it properly.
1) Purchase a sturdy, but lightweight backpack so it does not add much weight to an already heavy load.
2) Look for a backpack that has wide straps with plenty of padding. Narrow straps can restrict circulation in a child’s arms and cause discomfort.
3) Make sure kids pack heavier items closer to the lower back which will help reduce strain on the shoulders.
4) Use both shoulder straps and waist strap while wearing a backpack. This distributes weight evenly across the strongest muscles in the back.
5) Encourage the child to pack light and make several trips to their locker throughout the day to exchange textbooks. A backpack should not weigh more than 20% of a child’s weight.
Get Some Sleep
It is very important for your child to establish good sleep habits. Studies show that sleep deprivation can cause a weakened immune system, irritability, and poor decision making. However, getting good sleep means more than just going to bed early.
1) Make sure that your child falls asleep in a room without noise. Have your student set a sleep timer on the television so it shuts off. Sleeping with consistent noise can keep anyone from achieving a deep sleep.
2) Open the curtains. Allowing light to enter a room in the morning will awaken a child naturally rather than an alarm or a brisk shake.
3) Restrict television and computer use on nice days. Playing outside will allow for more exercise and the child will be tired come bedtime.
With some attention and planning you can make the most of the back-to-school transition, and start off the year fit and healthy! |
