Stress Management Tools to Take Back to School

Adapted from Susi Amendola’s original article

The start of the school year is just around the corner, and kids, parents, and caregivers are beginning to feel excitement mixed with anxiety.

Now more than ever, the demands of school are at an all-time high. We’ve all seen our kids at every school level experience more scholastic pressure. With the added stress of social media, bullying, rising suicide rates and drugs, their social burdens have also skyrocketed.

5 Tips for Back to School Sleep

by Sabra Leomo, RD

Are your kids prepared to go back to school? Summer is winding down and school is on everyone’s mind. Prepping for back to school usually involves new clothes, shoes, and school supplies but often we don’t think about prepping for a back to school sleep schedule. Going to bed late and sleeping in may have become your child’s summer sleep pattern. While that schedule works for lazy summer days, when school starts up again being well-rested is incredibly important for a successful school year. Children that are well-rested have fewer behavior issues and are able to focus better in school. Face it, we all get cranky when we are tired. To help you get your kids on track for the school year, here are 5 sleep tips.

Back to School Fuel: Healthy Nutrition for the School Year

by By Sabra Leomo, Registered Dietitian

How does summer always slip by so quickly? August brings us back to school with busy mornings and activity-illed evenings. Today I will share some easy tips to help ease you back into the school routine. With the start of school we often focus on pencils, binders, and other neatly packaged school supplies. While school supplies are important (who can resist a new pack of crayons?) let’s take a minute to talk about nutrition. Feeding your children healthy meals and snacks helps them focus in school and aids in their growth and development.

Healthy and Nutritious School Snacks

by Manjari Fergusson

With most kids back in school this month, it’s the perfect time to get inspired with new snack ideas! The importance of healthy snacking is huge, as it helps balance blood sugar levels, provides lasting energy, and ensures good nourishment for you and your growing children.

Yummy, healthy snacks help keep kids from eating too many empty calories, usually in the form of sugary drinks, sweets and candies, chips, and cookies. This goes a long way in preventing childhood obesity and diabetes, which are increasing problems here in the U.S.

Good News for the Fight against Childhood Obesity

Photo: Children Smiling

by Tandis Bishop, RDN

Childhood obesity affects everyone on a national and global scale. One in 3 children in the United States is overweight or obese. Aside from the short and long term health effects, this growing epidemic has significant medical costs and social consequences.1 Most strategies to fight childhood obesity look at removing things – for example taking out empty-calorie foods such as sugary drinks and refined grains from school vending machines and lunches.

Back to School with Healthy Sleep Habits

Photo: Boy Smiling in Bed

by Tandis Bishop, RDN

During the summer children often stay up later and sleep in longer. But as we prepare our children for the new school year, it is important to get back to a routine sleep schedule.  Research has shown that inadequate sleep, poor sleep quality and sleepiness are common problems in children and adolescents, and are related to learning, memory and academic performance.1

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