As we say goodbye to summer vacation and the school year begins, parents everywhere are preparing backpacks, lunchboxes, and routines. But beyond school supplies, ensuring your child’s back-to-school health is just as important. Healthy kids learn better, feel better, and have the energy to thrive academically and socially. Here are some practical back-to-school health tips to get your child off to the best start.

🏥 Prioritize Preventive Care

Back-to-school season is a great time to catch up on wellness visits, sports physicals, and dental checkups. Speaking of dental checkups, while it’s easy to believe student health is a leading cause of chronic absenteeism, it may surprise you to learn that children are missing nearly two million school days each year due to dental problems alone. Preventive care is the least expensive and simultaneously most effective method of stopping absenteeism.

🛌 Build Healthier Sleep Habits

Summer often means late nights, but kids need adequate rest to stay alert in class. Sleep is one of the biggest predictors of school success. It is recommended that school-aged children get 9–12 hours of sleep per night. Insufficient sleep is linked to lower grades, attention issues, and even an increased risk of obesity.

Tips:

• Begin adjusting sleep schedules before school starts by moving bedtime back 15 minutes earlier each night. Create a calming bedtime routine, and keep devices out of bedrooms to minimize blue-light disruption.
• Make sure that children avoid energy drinks entirely, as the high levels of caffeine and other stimulants can be harmful to developing bodies. Some states even restrict their sale to minors to help protect young consumers.
• Try to limit sugar intake, especially after dinner. This includes sugary beverages like soft drinks, soda, or “pop.”
• Play calming music before bed, as it can be great for winding the evening down (even for small kids).

🍎 Focus on Nutrition

Healthy eating fuels both learning and growth. Research shows that children who eat breakfast perform better academically and have improved concentration. Pack lunches that balance protein, whole grains, and colorful produce.

While sugary cereals are quick and convenient, they’re not the best choice for setting your child up for a focused day at school. A breakfast high in sugar can cause a quick spike in energy followed by a mid-morning crash, leaving kids feeling tired and unfocused well before lunchtime.

Snack ideas:

• Sliced fruit
• Yogurt with berries
• Hummus and veggie sticks
• Baked chips
• Granola bars

Tip: Involve your kids in meal planning. When children help choose and prepare their food, they are more likely to eat it and develop healthy lifelong habits.

🤝 Support Mental Health

The transition back to school can bring stress or anxiety. Early support can make all the difference in a child’s academic and emotional success.

Parents can support their child’s mental wellness by:

• Encouraging daily check-ins. Instead of asking “How are you feeling today?” (which can lead to one-word answers), try open-ended questions like, “Tell me about your day.” Following up on things they’ve mentioned before helps kids feel heard and understood.
• Introducing simple relaxation strategies. Young children can grasp mindfulness when it’s made relatable. Try calming activities that naturally build those skills—like blowing bubbles slowly to practice breath control, or coloring in a quiet space with soft music playing. These activities promote focus and emotional regulation without feeling like a chore.
• Watching for signs of distress. Changes in mood or behavior—such as withdrawal, irritability, or trouble sleeping—can signal that your child is overwhelmed. Early support can make a big difference.

With netWell’s Elite+ Membership, families have access to telecounseling sessions and mental health support to ensure kids (and parents!) have the resources they need to manage stress.

🧼 Encourage Daily Hygiene

Simple hygiene practices are the first line of defense against colds, flu, and other contagious classroom illnesses. Handwashing alone can reduce respiratory illnesses in children.

Remind your kids of these practical hygiene tips:

• Wash your hands before eating and after using the restroom
• Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow
• Keep personal items (like water bottles and hats) to themselves

Incorporating these habits into your child’s daily routine helps protect their health and the health of their classmates.

A Smart and Healthy Start to the School Year

With the right preparation, your child can head back to school healthy, confident, and ready to learn. Focusing on back-to-school health tips sets the stage for a successful school year.

Ready to take the next step in your child’s health journey? Explore how netWell memberships provide healthcare sharing benefits, including preventive care, mental health support, and more.