1. Plan School Lunches Together

Hummus on whole wheat pita bread? Check. Carrots and celery with a creamy dip? Sounds great. However you decide to fill your child’s belly, the key to creating meals they enjoy is to enlist their help in creating the menu! When children have a say in what they get to eat, turns out they’re more likely to chow down. Bonus: Sharing ideas in the kitchen will kickstart your child’s creativity in the cooking department. Quality Mommy-(or Daddy)-and-me cooking time, anyone?

For expert advice on everything from healthy snack swaps and lunchbox makeovers to practical ways to help your kids make healthy choices even when you’re not around, download our FREE e-book here. Also included is information on the common nutrition obstacles facing kids today and how to beat them!

2. Revisit Hygiene Basics  

When your child is in school, they cross paths with hundreds of other kids. It’s the perfect environment for collaborative learning, but unfortunately, it’s also the perfect environment for germ-spreading. A simple solution is to revisit the basics – handwashing, handwashing, and more handwashing!

Taking some time to talk with your children about hygiene a few weeks before the start of school can help them carry on those practices in school. This means proper handwashing after an eventful recess, a particularly messy lunch, or a sticky arts and crafts session! Bonus: When your kids stay clean, they don’t bring germs home either – this way, mom and dad can stay on top of their game!

3. Strengthen Immunity with Probiotics

So, your kids are washing their hands diligently, working hard to stay clean. Yet somehow, the pesky bacteria have crawled through the cracks and before you know it your child has a runny nose and high fever. Starting your child on a probiotic supplement as soon as possible will help populate their gut with healthy bacteria. Given roughly 70% of the body’s immune cells are found right in the gut, probiotics are the perfect way to strengthen immunity.

Progressive Perfect Probiotic™ for kids contains a strategic combination of 10 kid-friendly probiotic strains, with each small scoop providing 10 billion colony-forming units. The powder itself has a pleasant taste and will easily stir into liquids making it simple to administer, even to children. Mix it into water and have your child sip on it from a water bottle throughout the day! Benefits include better intestinal health, a favourable gut flora, and increased absorption of vitamins and minerals.

What about mom and dad? Progressive carries a wide range of probiotics for adults in a variety of potencies. They are an excellent way to reduce fatigue, constipation and diarrhea, food allergies, and leaky gut syndrome. It also aids in the prevention and treatment of vaginal and urinary tract infections. A great addition to your routine to keep your gut balanced, happy, and healthy.

4. Address Nervousness with Compassion

Will I be in the same class as my friends? What will I learn? What if I miss you?

Understanding and addressing questions like these will not only ease your child’s anxiety, it’ll also show them that they can openly communicate school-related concerns with you.

The best way to address these concerns is to first acknowledge that the emotions your child is experiencing are real. Then, counter them with positive statements.

• Will I be in the same class as my friends?
  • I know you love your friends. If you do end up in the same class, that’ll be great! If you are in a different class, you have the chance to make lots of awesome new friends!
• What will I learn?
  • That’s a good question. Everything under the sun – things about science, math, English, and more. You might like one subject more than the other, but that’s OK!
• What if I miss you?
  • Mom / Dad will always be here when you get home. (Tip: If you’re able to pick and drop your kids off at school, you can reassure them you’ll be there to see them off in the morning as well as hear all about their adventures when they’re done.)

5. Chat about Ways to Combat Bullying

You speak to your children as lovingly as possible, making sure they’re brought up in a safe and loving environment. Unfortunately, school bullying is an issue that is hardly under your control. Here are a few quick things you can do on your part to make sure your child is safe:

• Set clear boundaries for how much ‘online time’ they get every day
• Check in on how your child’s day went and be patient with receiving information from them
• Reinforce that they are not alone and share the many resources they have for help

For more information on how to talk about bullying, see here.

About the Author: The Progressive Team

Progressive Nutritional Therapies prides itself on creating products designed to help support the needs of a contemporary lifestyle. With assistance from renowned naturopath Dr. Mikhael Adams BSc, ND, they have created some of the most highly comprehensive and finely detailed products and formulations. Learn more at progressivenutritional.com.