Back to School – Helping Our Kids Build Healthy Active Lives

Help your kids prepare for school with a focus on the basics – nutrition, exercise, healthy habits, mental sharpness, and good sleep.

Watching the Olympics has been exciting and exhilarating, seeing these young, strong athletes from around the world being pushed to their limits. Their accomplishments are so inspiring, but reaching their peak performance took guidance and support from their coaches and families and a focus on the basics – nutrition, exercise, healthy habits, mental sharpness, and good sleep.

As parents, teachers, coaches, mentors, and healthcare providers we can share these same goals for our children by supporting and encouraging active and healthy habits and routines through wellness education, developing self-confidence, and practicing prevention. It’s our job to set those healthy standards for our kids, especially as the new school year approaches.

I always find the Healthy Lifestyles 5-2-1-zero rule an easy way to begin:

• 5 – Enjoy five or more vegetables and fruits every day.
• 2 – Limit screen time to no more than two hours a day.
• 1 – Play actively for at least one hour a day. (There’s a great list of activity & fitness ideas at healthychildren.org)
• 0 – Drink zero sugary drinks

I understand how our busy lifestyles can distract us from some of the important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. But I always suggest to parents with children of any age, that providing a healthy, well-varied diet and packing a lunch containing the four food groups is the foundation for a productive day at school.

New CDC Guidelines

Before we know it, it’s going to be flu, RSV, and COVID season.

The Centers for Disease Control released new guidance on preventing infections in schools and for when a child should be kept at home. These are the guidelines for when to stay home:

• Fever over 100.4° especially with a new rash
• Vomiting more than two times in the preceding 24 hours
• Diarrhea that causes accidents, is bloody, or results in two or more bowel movements than is normal for that child in 24 hours
• Skin sores that are draining fluid that are unable to be covered 
• Respiratory symptoms that are worsening or not improving and not better explained by another cause like seasonal allergies 

During the pandemic, many of us learned a lot of healthy practices that we continue to use to this day including: washing hands; taking breaks from computers and phones; monitoring social media engagement and worrisome behaviors; developing routines for kids; the positive impact of outdoor activities; and the importance of keeping current with vaccinations and checkups.

I still find the best source of parent information at healthychildren.org, a comprehensive and timely website sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatricians. This site contains a recently updated report on the key factors that affect a child's health and practical tips for tackling the issues you can control as the school year begins.

If you have questions, or are struggling with medical or behavioral issues, your pediatrician or primary care provider can provide a wealth of information and direct you to readily available resources in the community and online. These are important issues that you should plan to discuss at your child's well-child appointment.