I can’t believe it’s the middle of September already! Time really does fly! The saying is so true, “The days are long but the years are short.” I’m trying to soak up and enjoy my boys at this stage (8th and 3rd grade). As a homeschool mom, I want to ensure that they have a great school year as well! Whether your kids go to public school, private school, or are homeschooled, there are steps you can take as a parent to help them have their best school year yet!
Here are my top 3 tips when it comes to having a healthy, happy school year:
1. Eat Well
Nutrition plays such a huge role in our kid’s physical, mental, and emotional health. It’s important to provide them with the right nutrients so they can function at their best. Making sure they start the day with a healthy breakfast (not donuts, pastries, or sugary cereals!) and have a healthy lunch while at school will help them focus, have better moods, and have healthy immune systems. Need healthy recipe ideas that your kids will love? Check out 30 Healthy Back to School Recipes! This list will provide a great foundation of healthy breakfast, lunch and snack recipes that you can add to your repertoire. Here’s another helpful article on the importance of nutrition for kids. Also, check out my FREE Ebook below, which includes some more yummy and kid-friendly recipes!
2. Establish Healthy Routines
Establishing healthy habits and routines is another important factor for a great school year. Kids thrive on routines and schedules, because it helps them to know what to expect. Routines like:
- Brushing their teeth each morning and night
- Washing their hands when they get home from school
- Doing their homework before supper
- Cleaning their room before bed
By helping them establish healthy habits and routines, they are more likely to stay healthy and do better in their school work. For more help on this, check out 20 Tips for Finding Your Routine with Kids.
3. Encourage and Equip
One of the best things we can give our kids during the school year (or anytime!) is encouragement. Encouragement helps our kids persevere through hard subjects, relationship issues with friends, and challenges they face in sports. Knowing we are their biggest fan can go a long way in helping our kids flourish in all aspects of life. And it will also help equip them to persevere as they get older to accomplish their goals. So, what are some practical ways we can encourage them?
- Pray with and for them – Committing every aspect of their lives to the Lord in prayer is one of the best ways to encourage our kids. Check out this post for a list of scriptures and topics to pray for your kids. If you aren’t praying for your kids, who is?!
- Praise them for a job well done – It’s easy to be quick to correct when we see our kids doing something wrong, but are we as quick to praise them when they’ve done something well? Make sure to keep a healthy balance. Otherwise, we may be unknowingly discouraging our kids!
- Spend quality time with them – They say you spell ‘love’ like this – T-I-M-E. Nothing communicates love and encouragement to our children like time well spent with them. Make sure to schedule fun time doing things they enjoy!
- Be approachable – We want to be the one that our kids come to when they are having problems. It’s important to communicate love and openness with our children and let them know that they can talk to us about anything.
Need more ideas on ways to encourage your kids? Check out this helpful article!
If you’d like more ideas on how to give your kids a healthy and happy school year, check out my FREE Guide below! It’s full of my top tips, recipes, and product recommendations to keep you and your family healthy this year!
