Sleep is probably the most critical of all the ways to kick start a successful school day followed by a good breakfast and a hearty belly laugh before running out the door to catch the bus or other transport. Their body and their brain craves sleep so much – so it can do its job! Sleep health revives the brain from an overload of information from all kinds of sources to include heavy doses of technology and social media that threads itself though the life of the youngest of kids. The cobwebs of fogginess that kids seem to stumble in classrooms with can be diminished substantially by creating bedtime habits.
It is very important to plan for breakfast; the first meal of the day. Too much sugar will spin their energy level into overdrive. Regaining the composure needed to listen, focus, and interpret and interact with their peers and their teachers after a sugar rush, might take hours, taking away from their classroom experience and what is learned. Instead, eating foods that are lean and green and more wholesome, feeds everything well. Their bodies simply loves the good food. It provides critical nourishing nutrients that aid in their healthy growth as teens into adulthood.
Drinking water not sugary drinks should be highlighted at every meal. Water has so many benefits. It makes kids’ feel good, helps them focus, provides their body its many needs to function properly to include energy to last throughout gym and playgrounds and “tag… you’re it” games.
Study habits are a must. They prepare kids for a successful school experience especially when they get to high school and beyond. Research believes if you calculate 10 minutes per your child’s grade level, is a really good indication of how much time they should spend studying each day. For example, study time for your child if in the 1st grade=10 minutes. 2nd grade=20 minutes. 3rd grade=30 minutes. 4th grade=40 minutes. 5th grade=50 minutes and so on. It’s all about building habits that will translate in the future into the type of quality of life your child will have.
Disconnecting from technology, TV and social media before bedtime is critical. An hour or more before bedtime is what’s needed in preparation for a restful night and a robust wakeup to conquer their day. And, don’t forget the importance of family time. Family is their number one cheerleader. It is here that bonding takes place that will last them a lifetime. Feeling loved and accepted by the family corrects the misinformation about who they are when they leave and go to school and into the community.
