School is an environment where your child learns important educational and social skills. Unfortunately, it can also be a habitat where they pick up germs and other illnesses such as the flu, chicken pox, and the common cold. While you can’t protect your child from every strain that they come in contact with, you can stress the following tips for staying healthy and safe during the school year.
Wash, Wash, Wash Your Hands
When it comes to keeping your child germ-free, washing your hands is the number one hygiene recommendation. Your child may pick up bacteria and germs from flushing the toilet, drinking from the water fountain, passing papers and playing outdoors at recess. However, washing hands with soap and water before they eat lunch and after they go to the bathroom can improve their chances of preventing illnesses and germs from spreading.
To ensure that they wash thoroughly, teach them to sing the alphabet or happy birth song while they soap their fingers and hands. When done, they are ready to rinse. Adults can also adopt this important method.
Boost Their Immune System
Eating well-balanced meals throughout the day can help your child build a strong and healthy immune system. This can reduce their chances of getting sick and help them combat the colds quickly in case they come down will an illness. While they may want to catch a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning, waking them up earlier allows them to eat a good breakfast. Oatmeal, whole-grain cereal with fruit, eggs and a whole-wheat bagel or a fruit smoothie are all healthy options that can get their day off to a great start. You can continue this well-balanced diet plan by packing a nutritious lunch and snacks. In addition to reducing their chances of coming down with the flu, they’ll also be more alert and able to function properly when presented with tests and other homework.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Both children and adults can get run down if they don’t get enough rest each night. Inadequate amounts of sleep can also make them tired, cranky and unable to pay attention in class. Children need at least 8 hours of sleep each night. While that may sound easy to accomplish, your kids may push those boundaries if their favorite program comes on T.V. or they have activities that prevent them from getting to bed on time.
As a parent, you need to have your child adopt a strict sleep schedule. This means having them do their homework when they come home from school, eating dinner at a reasonable hour and finding activities before bedtime that will help them unwind. Reading stories, putting away the electronic gadgets and taking a warm bath can prepare them for some much needed rest.
Stay Active
Once your child goes back to school after the summer break, they’ll be sitting at their desk for a large portion of the day. While math and spelling are important skills that can help them throughout life, exercise is just as critical to their health and wellness. Most schools have some sort of gym program that adds running, jumping and playing into their schedule. If your child isn’t involved in some sort of extra-curricular activity such as football, basketball, gymnastics or soccer after school, you can incorporate family activities each day. Whether you take an after dinner bike ride, walk the dog or play catch, outdoor exercise is a great way to spend time together as a family and get moving. You can also plan weekend events such as a hike along a scenic neighborhood trail, bowling or a family soccer game.
John Miller is a home improvement and design expert who loves sharing what he has learned throughout his career on various online media and websites.
Thanks! My boys already got sick the first week of school 🙁