It’s back to school time. Here’s a few things you may not have thought of to get your kids sorted…
- Supportive school bag: Purchasing a backpack for your child to ‘grow into’ with a plan to fit more books in later grades, although tempting, isn’t recommended. A bag that is too big and sits too far below a child’s waist will cause weight to be supported by shoulders rather than correctly by the pelvis and transferred to the legs. A bag with a structured and padded back support, as well as wide padded straps, will also ensure weight is distributed evenly. To help your child stay more organised throughout the school year a bag design with plenty of separate compartments is recommended to also help keep books in better condition. Away from food!
- Lunch Accessories: Your child’s school may have introduced an environmentally friendly lunch box focus for the New Year. A segmented lunch box design is great for eliminating excess use of glad wrap and will keep items from being squished and ultimately chucked. There is nothing worse than hearing that the lunch you lovingly prepared hasn’t been eaten. It might also be time for a clean out of the Tupperware draw too of containers with broken or missing lids to avoid early morning frustration. Old water bottles might need a cull too. Check for mould and leaks.
- Healthy Recipes: While you have a touch more time before the whirlwind starts, have a search for some easy and healthy lunch box recipes and maybe even give them a test run on the family’s taste buds. Adding just one or two more homemade creations into your arsenal will help eliminate lunch box packaging waste and help the whole family have a healthier year. Items such as muesli bars and slices can be made in bulk and ahead of time. Perhaps it’s time to get the kids involved with preparing their own lunch boxes? Teach them how before term starts to get habits set in stone.
- School shoes: Picking the right school shoe is incredibly important as kids spend up to 40 hours a week in their schools shoes. Australian Podiatrist, Lloyd Reed, recommends investing in good footwear, such as podiatrist recommended shoes, to avoid long term damage. An ill-fitted shoe can cause corns, calluses, foot pain, lower back pain, and lasting damage. Lloyd recommends brands, such as Ascent Footwear, which is the only Australian brand endorsed by both the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) and the Australian Podiatry Association (APodA).
- Routine: The week before school resumes after summer break is when a more consistent routine for waking up and meal times can be gradually reintroduced. If the kids have been lucky and given a bit of extra screen time over the break, now is the time to start getting stricter. Making sure phones and other screens are away an hour before lights out can help them wind down and slip back into a healthy sleep routines to increase focus during the first days back.
- Family Calendar: Get your hands on a family calendar with a column for every member of the family. You will be ready and organised to fill in everyone’s different extracurricular schedules, assignment due dates and appointments in an easy to read column of their own. Term dates can be popped in ahead of time to avoid being caught off guard by a pupil free day.