Health Tips - Back-to-School

Transition to a new school year can be difficult because summer routines can be kind of lax, bedtimes can be very late, wake-up times can be very irregular and meal times don't always happen on time.

Bedtime can be pushed earlier by a half an hour to an hour each night until school bedtime becomes the norm. Ideally, this should happen a few days before school actually starts. Wake-up time can be done in the same way only in reverse.

Routines are always easier to lose than to restart, maintaining a reasonable bedtime over the summer, allowing for the fact that the sun stays out longer in the summer, and maintaining a reasonable wake-up time during the summer will make the transition back to school a little bit easier.

Kids get out of the habit of reading, they get out of the habit of doing homework and they get in the habit of staying up late and watching YouTube and video games.

Transitions can be different for each child in a family depending on the child's personality, not unlike adults, some children will find no problem going to bed earlier and turning off the screens earlier and some children and adults will find this challenging.

Encourage reading over the summer, it doesn't matter what they read, go to the library, get books, this will help them when they get back to school. Limit screen time to less than 2 hours a day, I know this is difficult, but it's better for everybody involved. Spend time outside as much as possible, enjoy the weather, the exercise will help everybody feel more rested when they come inside and help them to go to sleep a little bit easier.

Similarly, if a child needs a physical to return to school or vaccine to return to school, this needs to be done well before school begins. Ideally, July is the best time for school physicals and vaccinations.

Anxiety is a very common thing that happens to kids returning to school, a friend might have moved, they may have a new teacher or they may be starting at a brand new building.

Some kids are excited for the school year, as well, and being excited and being anxious can exist in the same child.

Parents can alleviate the anxiety in several different ways. If it's possible, some schools will allow you to take your child to the school early to see the building, to maybe try-out their lockers, and sometimes even meet the teachers.

Get everything together the night before school starts. Get the backpacks packed and the clothes laid out, this helps prevent morning chaos

Anxiety should be evaluated in several situations, if a child complains of physical complaints, such stomach ache or headache that aren't obviously attributed to some kind of illness, this should be evaluated by the child's provider. If a child is having difficulty eating or sleeping, especially before school starts, this is something that may also want to be discussed with the child's medical provider. 

Being sent home from school with physical complaints, most commonly headaches, vomiting and stomach aches, also probably should be evaluated by your child's medical professional.

Rarely, the anxiety is so bad that a child melts down and is simply unable to go to school or unable to stay at school, this requires a little bit more urgent intervention with the child's medical professional as it may require some referral to a counselor or something like that.

Above all, talk to your kids about their anxiety, it's not unusual to have anxiety after being off for a break even if you're returning to a familiar place. Remember, as a parent, it's not your job to fix your child's anxiety, it's to help your child learn to deal with it.