Keeping Your Kids Healthy In And Out Of School

As parents, it is our responsibility to ensure that our children are healthy and happy. This includes ensuring that they are physically and mentally healthy, both in and out of school. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the topic of keeping our children healthy has become even more important. In this article, we will discuss some practical ways to keep your kids healthy in and out of school.

1. Hygiene

The importance of hygiene cannot be overstated, especially in the current times we’re living in. It is essential to teach your children basic hygiene practices such as washing their hands regularly, covering their mouth when sneezing, and coughing into their elbows. Additionally, make sure your children know the proper way to dispose of used tissues.

In school, teachers should encourage children to practice good hygiene regularly. For instance, they should encourage hand washing before and after eating or using the restroom. The school should also provide hand sanitizers in classrooms and other areas.

2. Sleep

Sleep is crucial for the overall health of your children. The amount of sleep a child needs depends on their age. According to the National Sleep Foundation, preschoolers need 10-13 hours of sleep each day, school-age children require 9-11 hours, and teenagers need 8-10 hours.

Make sure your children get enough sleep by setting a consistent bedtime routine. This can be achieved by having a consistent bedtime, avoiding caffeine, staying away from electronics before bedtime, and keeping their bedroom cool and dark.

3. Exercise

Daily physical activities play an essential role in keeping children healthy. Regular exercise ensures a healthy weight and boosts the immune system making it easier to combat infections.

Encourage your children to engage in physical activities such as outdoor games, sports, or even household chores. In schools, physical education classes and after-school sports should be mandatory.

4. Healthy Eating

A balanced diet is necessary to keep children healthy. It promotes growth and development, improves immunity, and helps to maintain a healthy weight. Children should be encouraged to consume fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

As a parent, prepare and provide your children with healthy meals and snacks. Limit the consumption of processed foods, sugary beverages and provide healthier alternatives such as water and fruits.

Schools should also help in keeping their children healthy by providing healthy meals and snacks, such as whole-grain bread, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and milk.

5. Mental Health

Mental health is as crucial as physical health for the overall well-being of a child. Children should be taught how to manage stress, anxiety, and other emotions properly. Parents should lookout for warning signs of mental health disorders such as changes in sleep patterns, irritability, and lethargy.

Encourage open communication with your children, listen to their concerns, and provide a supportive and understanding environment. Seeking professional help and counseling can also help in protecting and promoting good mental health.

To promote good mental health in schools, teachers should encourage healthy relationships among classmates and provide counseling services.

6. Immunizations

Immunizations are crucial in protecting children against infectious diseases. Vaccines can prevent diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and many others.

Ensure your children receive all the recommended vaccines per their age. Immunization records should be kept up-to-date, and the physician should follow up with any missed vaccines.

7. Screen Time

Although technology has its benefits, children should be encouraged to spend minimal time on screen devices such as televisions, computers, tablets, and smartphones.

A lot of screen time can affect the mental, emotional and physical health of a child. Children who spend a lot of time on screen devices are often prone to eye strain, headaches, obesity, depression, anxiety, and even poor sleep.

Parents should be responsible for regulating screen time and setting limits. For instance, they can limit it to a few hours a day or provide breaks in between screen use. At school, the use of technology should be limited to what is necessary in classroom learning.

Conclusion

Keeping children healthy in and out of school is a collective responsibility that parents, guardians, and schools should take seriously. By promoting hygiene, adequate sleep, healthy eating, exercise, mental health, immunizations, and limiting screen time, we ensure that children grow up healthy, happy, and successful in life.

Ensuring these factors positively impacts future generations to live full, healthy lives. It’s essential to emphasize to both the child and school administrators that it is not enough just to make changes in their daily routine at various times. Creating a healthy lifestyle that affects all parts of the child’s life will have long-lasting positive effects.