Hi HVC Family,
The start of school term is a stressful time for parents and kids alike… consistency and routines can take stress and pressure off parents AND kids! Here are some easy tips to remember when the kids return to school for the next term.
Resetting Sleep Routines
Sleep is an incredibly important part of a healthy functioning body (for both adults and children!):
🌙 Sleep hygiene — The single most important tip for good sleep in kids (and adults) is the same bedtime and wake up time every day.
☀️ Get 5 minutes of morning sunlight — go outside in the sunshine first thing! This helps drop melatonin (the fall-asleep hormone) levels down, and increase Vitamin D levels. Vitamin D also helps the body understand day and night. (One of the reasons you should only take your Vitamin D supplement in the morning!)
Breathe Your Way to Calm
School drop-offs can be stressful—give everyone plenty of time in the mornings, and try this simple breathing exercise to stay centered:
🧘 Breathe in for 7 counts
🧘 Hold for 1 count
🧘 Exhale slowly for 11 count
Repeat 3-5 times to relax your nervous system and set a calm tone for the day. Bonus: it’s a great mindfulness skill to teach your kids too!
Sharpening Focus: Helping Kids Concentrate in School
Issues with afferentation (information coming into the brain from the rest of the body) have been correlated with issues relating to spinal function and poor joint movement. Chiropractic care has been shown in a few studies to increase afferentation to the brain! Signs of poor in kids include:
🔹 Not being able to sit still for even short periods of time
🔹 Difficulty with toilet training from age 5 onwards, both day and night
🔹 Development of scoliosis (curved spine)
🔹 Mood swings
The most COMMON reason young kids can’t sit still long periods of time is… that they are young! They are meant to be moving and learning from play, especially under the age of 7! This is developmental NORMAL! 🙂 (Though some kids can gain this skill earlier than others.)
How Parents Can Support Their Child’s Focus
Movement breaks – Let them play, run, jump and move around… A LOT! Depending on the child, consider that they may benefit from a school environment that encourages learning through play and movement.
Nutrition – 5 serves of veg per day. A balanced diet, particularly one that keeps blood sugar stable (stops sugar crashes) is important for consistent brain functioning. Avoid packaged foods, white foods, sugar, and other ‘unhealthy’ foods. Focus on whole foods. (An easy idea for school lunches is giving leftovers from a well-balanced meal the night before). Include some good carbs (wholegrain), good fats (avocado, nut butters if allowed. egg yolk, olive oil, coconut oil), fibre (vegetables, especially greens) and protein (meat, beans/legumes, eggs) in every meal and snack to help keep blood sugar stable.
Hydration – our body gets rid of unwanted waste through detoxification pathways – sweating, peeing and bowel motions. All of these processes require H2O. The slowing down of these processes can leave kids feeling sluggish, including when it comes to brain focus!
Screen time balance – There are no studies that have shown that screen time is of benefit to children. In the youngest of children (pre-school aged), multiple studies have shown they cause detriment to their brain development, in a dose-dependent way (the more they have, the worse it is).
Fun fact:
Less than 5% of Australian children meet both the daily recommendation of vegetables (2.5 – 5.5 daily servings depending on age) AND the maximum recommended amount of screen time (just one hour for primary school and two for high school, outside of school work).
Screen Time recommendations – Dr Jenelle’s personal recommendation is to limit screen time as much as possible, and to even avoid it completely on school days; children, especially the littlest school kids, need to be outside and moving when not in the classroom, so they can do a better job of sitting and focusing when they have to. Even the biggest kids (including mums and dads!) will benefit enormously.
Children’s Spinal Checkup – A chiropractic checkup can assess how your child’s nervous system is functioning – balancing the correct information coming into the brain (afferentation) so that the brain can make the best decisions with that information (efferentation). This internal communication of the nervous system supports learning, sports performance, emotional regulation, sleep and overall well-being.
Has your little one started school? Dr. Jenelle’s developmental assessment not only assesses spinal function, but also hearing, vision, and development, so your child can start school off on the right foot.
Have questions? We offer a free 10-minute call to chat with our team and see how we can help!
Let’s continue the school year with strong, healthy, and happy kids! 
That’s all for now! Dr Jenelle