From unhealthy school lunches to heavy backpacks, kids and parents face a variety of challenges to maintaining health and wellness during the school year. As summer draws to a close and classes begin, this back-to-school wellness guide can help you and your children navigate these challenges.

Lighten the Load

On the first day of school each year, kids comes home with new classmates, new teachers — and a heavier backpack. A heavy load can cause chronic back pain in children, so to avoid side-effects from weighty textbooks, encourage your children to leave their books in lockers or at home whenever possible to prevent back strain.
Talk to your child about using both straps to carry the backpack, since putting all the weight on one side can contribute to pain in the back, neck or shoulder. Remind your child to maintain proper posture while wearing their backpack: Slouching or dropping the head will increase pressure on the cervical spine.
It also is important to choose the right backpack. Pick one that is no larger than the child’s torso. It should have a padded back, and straps that are wide, padded, and adjustable. Multiple compartments can help balance the load.

Basic Precautions Can Help Prevent Illnesses

When they return to school, kids are exposed to a wide range of health hazards, such as colds, the flu, and lice. Make sure your child follows some basic principles to reduce the chance of getting sick at school:

• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth (this is the primary way diseases are spread)
• Drink plenty of water
• Cover the mouth and nose while coughing and sneezing
• Wash hands with soap and water frequently throughout the day, and tuck hand sanitizer in the backpack
• Be careful not to share brushes, combs or hats, which can spread lice, an unpleasant reality in schools

While it may be tempting to send a sick child to school, it is better to wait until they have been symptom-free for 24 hours before letting them return. Teachers and other parents will appreciate your precautions to limit the spread of the sickness.
The classroom is the first place your child may notice vision problems. Be aware of any increase in difficulty completing assignments — it may be vision-related.

Prepare Lunches And Snacks Ahead

School lunches, which often are high in salt, fat, and sugar, are considered a contributing factor to increasing childhood obesity rates. While buying lunch at school is always available for busy weeks and kids in need, with a bit of preparation and planning, you can provide your children with nourishing lunches to bring to school every day of the week.
Packing healthful lunches doesn’t have to be an insurmountable task. Preparing fruits, veggies, healthy snacks, and meals ahead of time saves time and effort later, making your morning routine a breeze. Create a master list of tried-and-true favorites and the groceries needed to prepare them. Set aside an afternoon or evening once or twice a week to plan and prepare meals for the week. Try creating a meal plan and breaking down the tasks needed to fix each meal.
The same principles can be applied to keeping a stock of after-school snacks. Children often come home from school ravenous, with dinner several hours away. For busy kids, junk food provides inadequate fuel for studying or physical activity.
Resist the urge to buy junk food and prepare quick, easy snacks instead. Some easy foods to grab and go include fresh fruits and vegetables, high-fiber granola bars that are low in sugar, and protein-rich foods like hard-boiled eggs, peanut butter, and hummus.
For more ideas about healthy options that can help keep up energy and reduce stress, check out this recent blog post.

Start on the Right Foot

Properly fitting shoes can affect your child’s posture: Foot problems which typically first appear in childhood, can contribute to back pain. Check for calluses, excessively flat feet, and other concerns to ensure proper support and fit. Small children can’t always communicate if shoes fit improperly, so look for shoes with room for growth, plenty of flexibility, and breathable fabrics.

Find a Balance Between School And Physical Activity

Homework and studying are an unavoidable part of going back to school, but helping your children achieve a balance between work and physical activity gives them the freedom to be happier and healthier.
The World Health Organization recommends kids spend at least 60 minutes a day doing physical activities. In addition to the physical benefits of exercise, research suggests that regular exercise can ward off anxiety and depression in children, increase self-esteem, and improve academic performance and quality of sleep.
Your children exercise their brains all day in school and while doing homework, so exercising their bodies provides a needed balance. Make a plan to keep track of goals for completing homework and spending time on the move.
Organized sports can provide lessons in teamwork, social skills and build character traits like perseverance. But for younger children, unstructured playtime is a fast-disappearing, yet important aspect of learning and development.
Whatever form of exercise your children choose, aim for at least an hour a day of physical activity.

Refocus Your Family Routine

Returning to school is all about new beginnings and it’s a great opportunity to reintroduce structure to your family life. Summer is often a time of relaxation and recuperation from the stress of a long school year, but if the first day of school catches you unprepared you’ll be struggling to keep up with everyone’s different schedules.
Try making a master schedule and calendar, particularly if you’re juggling students in different levels of school, with different events. You’ll know at a glance if you can supervise a school field trip or make it to the soccer game.
Avoid morning chaos by handling chores like laundry and meal planning the night before. Handle homework reminders at least an hour before bedtime to avoid excuses. For children anxious about going back to school or attending for the first time, try a practice run going to school in the morning. Another trick is to adopt a school mealtime schedule. Easing unsure children into a new school routine can calm fears and make school an enjoyable experience.
We hope this guide will help you and your family stay healthy and happy as the new school year fast approaches. If you have any questions or would like more information about back-to-school health and wellness, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
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