Getting enough sleep and exercise and eating a nutritious diet are all contributing factors to how well a child performs in school. Generally, a healthy lifestyle helps with things like concentration, mood, and attention to detail, amongst other things, which are all important for young learners. I have teamed up with an independent prep school in Hertfordshire to discuss how your child’s lifestyle choices can affect their education in further detail below.
Make sure your child starts their day with a healthy breakfast, rich in fibre and protein, because this will give them the energy, they need to concentrate in class for the next several hours. If they like to eat a snack at break time, avoid giving them things like chocolate bars or crisps, because that will give them a temporary high and a subsequent crash. Instead, pack them something like carrot sticks and houmous or dried fruit.
As well as food, you should also monitor what your child is drinking. If they are dehydrated, they will feel sluggish, so make sure they take a bottle of water with them to school that they can fill up throughout the day.
Regular exercise is also important, not only because it promotes the development of motor skills, bones and muscles, but also because it boosts concentration and attention both in and outside of the classroom. What’s more, it’s a chance for them to put down their technology and engage with the world around them. Exercise also encourages the release of “feel-good” hormones, so it will likely boost your child’s mood and put them in the right frame of mind to learn.
Another important lifestyle factor to consider is sleep. Sleep is great for aiding memory and improving alertness. During sleep, the brain absorbs all of the information it was fed during the day. Encourage your child to go to bed at a sensible time, but make sure they switch off their devices a while beforehand so that they are not feeling alert when they climb into bed.
