How healthy life habits benefit academic performance

Eating a balanced diet is good for your health and your memory. A well-nourished brain is a high-performing brain! To help your child get all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients they need to reach their full potential, encourage them to do the following:

• Have meals with the family
• Savour each bite
• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Try a variety of foods
• Drink more water
• Avoid eating processed foods (e.g., cake, chocolate, chicken nuggets)
• Etc.

Feeling hungry or thirsty makes it harder to concentrate. There are a number of tips you can suggest to help your child avoid getting distracted by hunger or thirst:

• Eat breakfast every morning
• Bring a water bottle to class
• Eat healthy snacks
• Don’t skip meals
• Etc.

Although nutrition plays an important role in determining our moods, the consequences of a lack of sleep should not be overlooked. Restless nights and too little sleep can make children irritable, impatient, unfocused, and agitated. That’s why it’s important for your child to get a good night’s sleep. Here are a few ways you can help:

• Limit their screen time
• Establish a routine
• Set an earlier bedtime (so they get enough sleep)
• Etc.
   

Kids who maintain a healthy lifestyle and look after their mental and physical well-being tend to do better in school. Success, in turn, increases self-esteem, one of the keys to getting ahead in life and in school. Try encouraging your child to find activities that help them relieve stress. Here are a few examples:

• Colouring
• Reading
• Singing
• Meditating
• Doing breathing exercises
• Etc.

It may not be the first thing to come to mind, but staying organized is also a healthy habit. Falling behind and forgetting details often leads to poor results (not to mention stress). Here a some strategies you can use to help your child keep on top of their work:

• Make sure they use their agenda
• Encourage them to set priorities
• Use colour codes
• Mark their activities in the family calendar
• Etc.