As families trade late summer nights for early morning school routines, preparing children for a healthy return to the classroom involves more than checking items off a back-to-school shopping list.
Along with new notebooks and classroom essentials, prioritizing a child’s health and well-being can help set the stage for a successful school year. Routine childhood vaccinations prevent an estimated 4 million deaths worldwide each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and remain one of the most effective ways to protect children from serious vaccine-preventable diseases.
Along with staying current on immunizations, establishing healthy habits such as adequate sleep, proper nutrition, regular physical activity and routine preventive care can support children’s physical well-being, mental health and academic success.
“The start of a new school year is an exciting milestone, but it can also bring a mix of emotions for both children and parents,” said Dr. Santos Cantu, a pediatric and emergency medicine specialist who serves as medical director of the South Texas Health System Children’s Emergency Department. “While preparing for the first day, families have an opportunity to create healthy routines that help children feel secure, confident and ready to succeed.”
Cantu said simple habits such as getting enough sleep, eating nutritious meals, staying active and keeping up with annual wellness visits can have a lasting effect on a child’s physical and emotional well-being. Easing children back into those routines before classes begin can help establish a foundation for a healthy school year.
STHS Children’s recommends that families schedule annual wellness visits and required sports physicals, begin adjusting bedtimes and wake-up times before school starts, provide balanced meals and healthy snacks, and encourage daily physical activity.
The hospital also advises families to reinforce frequent handwashing and proper cough and sneeze etiquette, keep children home when they are sick, and talk openly about worries or anxiety related to returning to school.
Consistent morning, homework and bedtime schedules can reduce stress and improve readiness. Families also should review bus, bicycle, pedestrian and pickup safety and balance recreational screen use with exercise, family time and adequate sleep.
For more than 20 years, STHS Children’s has served Rio Grande Valley families with pediatric emergency, intensive-care and specialty services.
