How Can I Help My Child Be More Successful at School?
Diet and Exercise
A well-balanced, healthy diet is important for your child’s success at school. In one study in New York City,“after schools improved the quality of meals they served, children’s achievement test scores went from the 39th to the 55th percentile.”
A healthy breakfast that includes some protein is really important. Meat, milk/dairy, and eggs are great sources of protein, as well as beans, grains, nuts, and seeds. Whole grains and other plant proteins do not always have as many of the amino acids as animal proteins, so these are best in combinations (like peanut butter on a whole-grain bagel). There are lots of great breakfast ideas for kids on-line, and many of them are fast and easy to pull together or can even be eaten on the go. You may want to try some from these sites:
http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/breakfast.html#
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/everydaycooking/family/backtoschoolquickeasyhealthybreakfast
Two nutrients in particular have been found to affect brain function: iron and protein. So ensuring that your child is receiving healthy amounts of these nutrients could result in better performance at school. Another nutrient required for good brain function is glucose, which is produced by eating carbohydrates. In general, most children in the U.S. “eat too much fat and sugar and not enough fruits and vegetables.”
Physical activity and exercise have also been linked to better school performance. “Physically fit children have higher test scores, better attendance, and fewer discipline problems.”
Exercise helps to relieve stress, which is important because the stress hormone cortisol affects how efficiently your brain works. Too much cortisol can interfere with learning. “Children with chronically high levels of cortisol have more cognitive, motor, and social delays than other children.”
Exercise also helps increase the amount of oxygen in your brain, which also helps the brain to work more effectively. Encourage your child to use his or her recess time to play vigorously and actively, and more activity after school helps, too. Limit the amount of TV or video games and encourage your child to get up and move. You may find that even 10 minutes of physical activity before homework can help your child focus and remember material better. If homework is dragging on and on, take a break to do a little movement. A few jumping jacks, jogging in place, stretching, or balancing exercises may help.
Works Cited
Bergin, C. & Bergin, D. (2012). Child and Adolescent Development in Your Classroom. Belmont:
Wadsworth.
How Can I Help My Child Be More Successful at School?
Getting Enough Sleep
Believe it or not, some of the answers may be fairly simple. First, make sure your child is getting enough sleep. According to research sited by child development experts, “Well-rested children do better mentally and socially—they have better memory; longer attention spans; higher self-esteem; and less aggression, hyperactivity, and depression.” In one study in particular, families in Israel asked parents to put their 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students to bed thirty to forty minutes earlier, or later, than usual for just three nights in a row. “The children who slept more improved in memory, motor speed, and attention. The effect size was equivalent to two years’ development.”
So how much sleep is enough? The table above is from the same child development authors.
This means that most six-year-olds who need to be awake at 6:30 a.m. need to be asleep by 7:30 p.m. at the latest and possibly as early as 6:30 p.m. A nine-year-old needs to be asleep by 9:30 at the latest and possibly as early as 8:30 p.m. when getting up at 6:30 a.m. The chart skips ages, so adjust to cover the gaps. For instance, children aged seven or eight years likely need 10-11 hours of sleep at night.
This chart is a guideline only, however, and your child may have slightly different needs. Some children need more sleep than their peers. Watch for signs of sleepiness in your child: lack of focus, irritability, frequent yawns, nodding off when sitting still, or even hyperactivity.
Particularly if your child is struggling at school, increasing your child’s sleep may be a good first step. The child development experts suggest the following tips:
Keep a steady bedtime routine even through the weekends.
· Establish a calming bedtime routine with dimmed lights. Avoid eating a large meal, exercise, TV or computer, and caffeine within an hour of bedtime.
· Get to the point where your child wakes on his/her own without an alarm.
· Keep daytime naps to a maximum of thirty minutes for school-aged kids.
· Eliminate conditions that disturb sleep: noise, light, stress, anxiety, overtiredness, lack of exposure to daylight, some medicines, and caffeine.
So how much sleep is enough? The table above is from the same child development authors.
This means that most six-year-olds who need to be awake at 6:30 a.m. need to be asleep by 7:30 p.m. at the latest and possibly as early as 6:30 p.m. A nine-year-old needs to be asleep by 9:30 at the latest and possibly as early as 8:30 p.m. when getting up at 6:30 a.m. The chart skips ages, so adjust to cover the gaps. For instance, children aged seven or eight years likely need 10-11 hours of sleep at night.
This chart is a guideline only, however, and your child may have slightly different needs. Some children need more sleep than their peers. Watch for signs of sleepiness in your child: lack of focus, irritability, frequent yawns, nodding off when sitting still, or even hyperactivity.
Particularly if your child is struggling at school, increasing your child’s sleep may be a good first step. The child development experts suggest the following tips:
Keep a steady bedtime routine even through the weekends.
· Establish a calming bedtime routine with dimmed lights. Avoid eating a large meal, exercise, TV or computer, and caffeine within an hour of bedtime.
· Get to the point where your child wakes on his/her own without an alarm.
· Keep daytime naps to a maximum of thirty minutes for school-aged kids.
· Eliminate conditions that disturb sleep: noise, light, stress, anxiety, overtiredness, lack of exposure to daylight, some medicines, and caffeine.
- Works Cited
Bergin, C. & Bergin, D. (2012). Child and Adolescent Development in Your Classroom. Belmont: Wadsworth.