7 Tips for Keeping Your Children Healthy at School

Sep 19, 2016

It is almost impossible to stop or reverse the process of global informatization in a modern world. This tendency has a great influence on all spheres of life and education is no exception. Whether they like it or not, schoolchildren have to work with computers, learn large amounts of information and lead a sedentary lifestyle.

However, both parents and teachers should bear in mind that health is the most precious asset. Numerous studies have shown that competitive schooling, excessive use of electronic gadgets and a lack of relaxation have a detrimental effect on both physical and mental health of the rising generation.

As a parent, you should not only ascertain this fact but take concrete actions to keep your children healthy, teach them to adapt to the challenges and promote healthy lifestyle in your family.

1 Help them adapt to the educational process

Adaptation to the school workload and new schedule after a summer vacation is a challenging process that requires a lot of patience and energy. Elementary school students need from 1,5 to 2 months to plunge into a school life, while older kids get used to the new environment in about one or two weeks.

Adaptation period is characterized by psychological difficulties often accompanied with somatic disorders. It is better not to wait for the consequences, but do something to mitigate the negative effect of adaptation upon your child. Explain to them that it is crucially important to adhere to the day’s schedule. Your task is to create this schedule and do your best to optimize it.

2 The health of eyes

Children should take breaks while doing the homework, spend not more than 40 minutes in front of the computer every day and limit the use of other electronic gadgets. Unfortunately, harsh reality does not give modern city dwellers, especially teenagers a chance to pay strict attention to these requirements.

But how can you preserve your child’s eyesight? The first thing you should do is create a healthy workplace for them. Teach your child to take the eyes off the monitor and look into the window every 15 minutes. Focusing on faraway things will prevent the development of short-sightedness.

3 The right posture

Every adult knows that a healthy spine is above wealth because the series of bones in the back have a big influence on almost all body organs and systems. If you do not want the spinal curvature to turn your child’s life into torture, you should start improving their posture today.

A constant reminder to keep the shoulders straight won’t help fundamentally solve the problem. On the contrary, your assertiveness and desire to help can only give birth to possible conflicts. Focus on the kid’s workplace, instead. It should consist of a desk, right chair, and a bookshelf.

Give your child an opportunity to do homework in silence. TVs, music, and other sources of the noise make the process of doing the homework longer and less effective. As a result, children spend more time sitting.

4 Healthy nutrition

The growing body of your child needs complete nutrition like oxygen. It should consist of proteins, fats, vitamins, carbons and other useful microelements that exert a positive influence on the development of a young body. Clean water and minerals help schoolchildren study and keep pace with its increasing workload.

Modern schoolchildren do not eat right due to many factors. Junk food, stress, long gaps between meals and lack of time increase the risk of gastritis and other serious gastro internal tract diseases among children. You should make sure that your child eats not less than three-four times a day. Don’t give them too much money, because it will tempt them to buy something tasty, but harmful at school.

Read also – 5 Reasons Your Child Should Drink Milk Each Day

5 Teach them to cope with overload

It is hard to believe, but modern children suffer from burnouts and chronic fatigue syndrome as well. It usually happens when their to-do lists are extremely overwhelming. Those children who study well spend time on their hobbies, get evening tutoring lessons and surf the Internet before falling asleep simply have no time and opportunity to relax their minds after a hard day at school.

If you can’t slow down the pace of your child’s life, you should help them gain psychological stability. Teach them to set priorities, say ‘no’, release deep-seated emotions and see the positive in nothing.

6 Boost their immune system

Unfortunately, schoolchildren often fall ill, because they spend a lot of time in crowded places and interact with people. One more factor that has a negative effect on the kid’s immune system is chronic stress. It gradually weakens their immunity and makes them vulnerable to various diseases, especially cold and flu.

Don’t wait until stress squeezes your child’s immune system to the last drop. The following pieces of advice may sound banal, but they really help both parents and schoolchildren achieve the desired result in a quite short period of time. Children should sleep enough, eat right, do physical exercises, play games, wash hands, air their rooms and spend more time outdoors.

7 Don’t be an extremely demanding parent

I understand that every parent wants their kids to be best of the best, but they should keep in mind that this goal can’t be reached at all costs. High and sometimes even unrealistic demands on your child during their studies and exam time can only increase the level of stress hormones in their body, plunge them into depression and significantly spoil the quality of the child-parent relationship.

Sometimes schoolchildren can’t do more than their best because they are already over-burdened by teachers, tutors and other people, who take an active part in their lives. Surround them with love, understanding, and psychological support.

Read also – 9 Reasons to Raise a Feminist Child

As a parent, you should always remember that your child’s health is in your hands. Don’t forget to set an example by living a healthy lifestyle, because you are a role model for them. If you have any other tips, please share them with us.