5 Tips to Keep Kids Healthy this School Year

Help keep your kids healthy this school year with these 5 lifestyle tips.

• 3 min read
• health & wellness

As a parent, you always want your kids to stay happy and healthy. With children back in school, it’s important to foster physical and mental wellness any way you can. Here are 5 tips that you and your co-parent can practice to help keep your kids healthy this school year:  

1. Provide healthy food 

A well-balanced diet is crucial to your child’s health and wellness. You and your co-parent should encourage your kids to eat breakfast each morning and provide healthy options for meals and snacks. It’s beneficial for co-parents to plan meals with the same nutritional guidelines in place so that both households are on the same page when it comes to dietary needs, restrictions, and expectations. Click here to learn more about how you and your co-parent can foster healthy eating habits. 

2. Teach proper hand washing

You and your co-parent should both stress the importance of washing hands frequently. This is especially crucial when children are back in school, as they are typically in contact with more shared surfaces and objects. Teach your child to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to prevent the spread of germs and illness in the classroom. You should also talk to your kids about when it’s appropriate to wash their hands, such as after they go to the bathroom, before they eat, and after they blow their nose.

3. Promote sleep hygiene  

Sleep is essential to long-term health, and it’s particularly important for kids to get adequate rest during the school year. As parents, you should try to help your child form good sleep routines. One of the best ways to facilitate this is through sleep hygiene, which means establishing habits that promote a good night’s sleep. You and your co-parent can help your kids get better sleep by agreeing upon consistent bedtime rules and routines within each home. Click here to learn more about how you can help your child form healthy sleep habits based on their age. 

4. Encourage daily exercise  

Healthy exercise habits are as important as healthy eating habits. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants, children, teens, and children with special needs have time for physical activity each day. You and your co-parent should work to implement similar exercise plans for your kids. Keeping your child active between households will make it easier for both parents to maintain these healthy habits without too much pressure. If your child participates in sports to get their physical activity, check out our tips on Co-Parenting a Student Athlete.  

5. Help your child cope with stress 

Kids experience stress and anxiety just as adults do, and sometimes school heightens these negative feelings. Between homework, extracurricular activities, and social responsibilities and pressures, the school year can be a lot for children to handle on their own. Helping your child learn to cope with stress in an important part of their development. If you or your co-parent notice signs of stress or anxiety in your kids, it’s beneficial to discuss them with each other so you can form a plan of action. Click here to learn more about the signs of stress in children and how to help them form healthy coping mechanisms.  

Help each other keep your kids healthy this school year 

If your relationship with your co-parent allows, it’s beneficial to check-in with each other frequently regarding the children. Documenting and discussing health and wellness matters that involve your children is key. A co-parenting communication service like TalkingParents can be a helpful tool for both of you. Our service makes it easy to communicate and coordinate regarding your kids. Check out all our co-parenting tools on our Features page.