Back to School Tips for a Healthy School Year
This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx but all opinions are my own. These back to school tips will help you and your child have a healthy school year, no matter what school option you choose!
It’s that time of year! When I was a kid, there was nothing more exciting than new clothes, fresh crayons, sharpened pencils, and notebooks full of crisp white paper. While school may look different for some of us this year, we can all benefit from these back to school tips to have a healthy (and happy ) school year!
Here are our top 10 tips to help you get on the right track:
Tip 1: Set a Routine that Works for Your Family
Routines don’t have to be super rigid, and you don’t have to over-schedule your days. But most kids do thrive with predictable routines, and clear expectations tend to result in fewer meltdowns.
Find a wake-up time that allows parents and kids plenty of time to get ready for school without being rushed. Determine how and when homework or other after-school chores or activities need to happen. Plan to eat dinner at a consistent time, and end your day with a regular bedtime routine.
With a somewhat consistent routine each day, our brains and bodies will become accustomed to the schedule – resulting in better sleep, more energy, and a more productive day!
Tip 2: Start With a Healthy Breakfast
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day – and it’s pretty true! Now I’ll admit, I’m not always in the mood for a big breakfast, and that morning meal may vary from person to person.
But whether our children realize it or not, their bodies just work better when they head off to school with a nutritious meal in their tummies.
Try to incorporate a good balance of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats into your child’s breakfast. If you’re short on time, make some egg muffins in advance and pop one in the microwave to heat quickly. Serve it with a little fruit and/or a yogurt bowl and your kiddo will be good to go!
Tip 3: Pack a Powerful Lunch
If your child plans to eat lunch from home, make sure to follow similar nutrition guidelines as you did for breakfast. A lunch filled with healthy carbs, protein, and fats will help them to stay full and have energy to think and work throughout the day.
These insulating lunch bags from Funkins are ultra-durable and machine washable for easy cleaning. They have soft handles and easy zippers so even little ones can manage unpacking and repacking at lunchtime.
With fun patterns that kids love, they also have matching napkins and placemats to include! Perfect for keeping mealtime messes contained and to keep food off of public surfaces. These lunch sets are reusable, eco-friendly, and strong enough to last beyond one school year!
Use code Babble2020 to get 25% off Funkins lunch bags and napkins/placemat sets through Sept 15, 2020!
Make lunchtime even better by slipping in a lunch note from MyWish4U! These 4″x4″ notes are easy to use, thoughtful, educational and fun! Your child will know you are thinking of them when they open their lunch bag to find a cool lunch note.
Available at Target online or in the Back to School section, you can choose from Cool Facts & Jokes, Riddles & Giggles, or Wacky Facts & Laughs. Each set includes 101 colorful, unique, single sided lunch notes with a blank back for you to write a personal note of your own.
Tip 4: Mask Up!
Some schools are requiring students to wear masks, while others are strongly recommending it. These face masks from Funkins are made to match their lunch bag sets so students can look stylish while being safe!
Made with two layers of woven cotton, these reusable face masks are just as soft as they are bright and cheerful. They have adjustable ear loops and a nose-bridge wire to help with a good fit. (These masks are non-medical grade for personal use only.)
Tip 5: Use Eye Protection
With increased electronics usage these days, eye protection is one back to school product that more children are adding to their backpacks.
These blue light glasses for kids from Zenni are designed for comfort with flexible and adjustable temple tips. The frames come in a variety of styles (these are the cat-eye frames) and include Zenni’s Blokz lenses that help block harmful UV and blue light to prevent eye strain, blurred vision, and disrupted sleep.
Zenni eyewear comes in small, medium, and large sizes for kids 4-15 years old.
Tip 6: Set Up a Hand Washing Routine
When returning home from school or from some other outing, it’s good practice to wash off any germs that may have been picked up along the way.
We have a kid-friendly step stool and soap dispenser in the bathroom nearest our front door, with a newly-installed hand towel hook to make it easy for even the little kids to wash up when we get home. Practice washing together while singing a fun hand-washing song so that kids of all ages can learn how long to scrub up (the CDC recommends 20 seconds, which is singing the Happy Birthday song twice).
Some families also remove shoes at the door, and choose to store coats and bookbags in one location to minimize germs being spread throughout the home. Find a plan that works best for your family and practice that routine each day until the kids can be consistent.
Tip 7: Set Up a Quiet Spot for homework
Whether your kiddos are going to school or homeschooling, they need a distraction-free location to do their work. Ideally, a desk or table that is free of clutter, TV, and other distracting electronics works best.
Natural light from a nearby window makes it easier to see their work and is less straining on the eyes than overhead lights.
It’s ok to think outside the box though, as long as you find what works best for your kid. They may feel more productive sitting on a beanbag, lying on the floor, or listening to calming music while they focus. Some kids learn best if they are fidgeting or even standing up and moving around! Whatever it is, finding a way to be successful with homework without stress will make the tasks fly by.
Tip 8: Unwind with Family Fun Time
Maybe one of our most important back to school tips is to make sure you include downtime each day! Even as adults, we know that it isn’t healthy for us to work constantly. We all benefit from shutting off our brains and relaxing after a long day.
Squeeze in a fun family board game like Grouch Couch from Spin Master! This entertaining game full of humor will have the whole family laughing. Collect your missing toy from Grouch Couch and win by having the most missing tokens. Find Grouch Couch at Walmart and Target!
For more independent play, kids can enjoy the InstaStudio Hands-Free Video Station from WeCool Toys/Compound Kings. Easy for kids to use for ultimate hands-free video recording to shoot their very own viral videos. Comes with InstaStudio, 3 scented slimes, fun backgrounds and a variety of glitters and beads!
Tip 9: Create a Calming Bedtime Routine
I don’t know about you, but having a relaxing bath or shower before bed just helps me to drift off to sleep so much more easily. For our children, washing away the day can be just as relaxing as part of their bedtime routine.
Try to schedule baths/showers at about the same time each night, if possible. This helps to signal to your child’s brain that sleep is coming and it will naturally start to prepare for rest.
TBH Kids has a personal care brand designed just for tweens and teens. Formulated with natural ingredients that encourage clean skin and hair, TBH can help kids start healthy habits early! Their shampoo includes natural ingredients such as nettle, meadowsweet (a soothing herb), and quinoa. The conditioner includes jojoba, vitamins B+E, and quinoa (to repair and hydrate hair).
TBH Kids also has a natural deodorant with charcoal, coconut oil, and arrowroot powder that kids can either use at night or in the morning before school (or both!). Puberty can be stinky, but healthy hygiene habits can help!
Receive 15% off site wide at TBH Kids with discount code: TBH4me (with minimum purchase of at least $10.00).
As bedtime gets closer, it’s best to avoid screens, bright lights, and loud noises. Quiet reading and comfy temperatures help to relax the brain and body for restful slumber.
Tip 10: Get Plenty of Rest!
The amount of sleep needed varies from person to person, and kids are just as individual as adults in this area. Some kids need more sleep than others their age, while some seem to wake up with the chickens no matter what.
Growth spurts and stress can cause an increase in need for sleep, so parents may need to be mindful of those variables. In general, preschoolers need about 10-12 hours of sleep per night and school-age children need about 8-11 hours of sleep.
As the parent, you know what works best for your child and this window is only a guideline to help you determine an appropriate sleeping schedule. Watch your child for signs of grumpiness, sleepiness, or lack of concentration, and adjust as needed.
Hopefully these tips will help you and your child start the school year off right for a year full of health and happiness! Good luck!
