A new school year brings new teachers, friends, activities, and opportunities to learn. It also means children are returning to busy schedules and spending much of their day around other classmates. Establishing healthy routines and taking safety precautions can help ensure your child grows and thrives during the new year.
Quick answer: A safe and healthy school year starts with an annual checkup, up-to-date immunizations, enough sleep, healthy meals, and regular activity. Review commute and backpack safety, and keep communication open about mental and emotional health. Rockaway parents can schedule a back-to-school well visit with us.
Why is the annual checkup a good place to start?
If your child hasn’t had their well visit yet, the back-to-school season is a good time to schedule one. Annual visits give your pediatrician an opportunity to monitor your child’s growth and development and screen for potential concerns involving vision, hearing, heart function, mental and emotional health, and more. A checkup may also identify concerns, such as an injury, food allergy, or difficulty sleeping. Additionally, your pediatrician can complete required school or sports forms and discuss any medications your child may need during the school day. If your child has a health condition that could require treatment or emergency care at school, communicate with the school health team so everyone knows how to respond.
Why do immunizations matter when school starts?
As schools bring children together in close contact, it can be easy for contagious illnesses to spread. Make sure your child is current on recommended immunizations before returning to the classroom. Vaccinations help protect your child from serious illnesses while also making it harder for diseases to spread throughout schools and communities.
How do sleep, nutrition, and activity affect school?
It’s also important to ensure that your child gets adequate sleep, nutrition, and physical activity. Getting enough sleep supports memory, concentration, creativity, and learning, while insufficient sleep is associated with poorer academic performance, absences, and tardiness. Help your child adjust to their school schedule by gradually returning to an earlier bedtime a week or two before classes begin. Establish a consistent bedtime routine and encourage kids to turn off electronic devices well before going to sleep. Avoid skipping breakfast in the morning, as eating a healthy breakfast helps with concentration and energy at school. Regular physical activity can also further support children’s physical and emotional well-being while providing a healthy balance to time spent using electronic devices.
How can I keep my child’s commute to school safe?
Whether they walk, bike, ride the bus, or travel by car, review transportation safety at the beginning of the year. Children taking the bus should wait until it has stopped before approaching and should cross streets carefully where the bus driver can see them. Kids biking to school should always wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet and understand basic traffic rules. If your child walks, practice their route together and reinforce safe street-crossing habits. Younger children may not yet have the judgment needed to navigate traffic independently. When driving, make sure everyone is appropriately restrained with a seat belt, car seat, or booster seat. Children younger than 13 should ride in the back seat.
What should I know about backpack safety?
Books, school supplies, and other belongings can quickly turn a backpack into a heavy load. Choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back. Encourage your child to use both straps and place heavier items near the center of their back. A backpack should weigh no more than 10% to 20% of your child’s body weight. Check it together each week and remove items that don’t need to be carried back and forth.
How can I support my child’s mental and emotional health at school?
A healthy school year isn’t only about physical health, but also about mental and emotional health. Changes in behavior, problems sleeping, physical complaints, difficulties at school, or frequent absences can sometimes signal that a child is struggling emotionally. Keep communication open and remind your child that they can come to you when something is bothering them. Because bullying can occur in the classroom, on the playground or bus, in the neighborhood, or through digital devices, it’s important that your child feels they have trusted adults they can approach for help. Your pediatrician is another source of support and can talk with you and your child about mental health concerns and help determine whether additional care is needed.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a backpack weigh?
A backpack should weigh no more than 10% to 20% of your child’s body weight. Check it together each week and remove items that don’t need to be carried back and forth.
How can I help my child adjust their sleep schedule for school?
Gradually return to an earlier bedtime a week or two before classes begin, establish a consistent bedtime routine, and encourage kids to turn off electronic devices well before going to sleep.
Where should children younger than 13 ride in the car?
Children younger than 13 should ride in the back seat, and everyone should be appropriately restrained with a seat belt, car seat, or booster seat.
What can signal that a child is struggling emotionally?
Changes in behavior, problems sleeping, physical complaints, difficulties at school, or frequent absences can sometimes signal that a child is struggling emotionally.
If you have questions about your child’s health or need to schedule their annual well visit, please contact our office. We’re here to help your child have a safe, healthy, and successful school year! Peninsula Pediatrics proudly cares for families across the Rockaways, including Rockaway Park, Belle Harbor, Neponsit, Rockaway Beach, Arverne, and Far Rockaway.
