8 Tips for Keeping Kids Happy and Healthy This Back-to-School Season

I am not exactly a germaphobe but I do worry about touching surfaces with only who knows what on them. I worry about their health and there are times when I worry that I am not doing enough to keep them healthy.

Here are some tips that we try to follow on a regular basis to keep our kids healthy and happy:

1. Move.

Get out and play. Exercise. Get out and walk. Dance. Just move. We talk walks as a family. My kids play several sports and are constantly doing some sort of exercise.

2. Eat well.

Those fruits and veggies are important. We buy a lot of both and I always make certain that my kids pick them out. They are much more likely to eat the fruits and vegetables they choose. In fact, in our house they eat twice as much of them.

3. Get enough sleep.

The average kid (or at least the average at my house) needs about 10-12 hours a sleep per night. I can tell when my children do no get enough sleep. Our entire schedule is thrown off. There are often tears, sometimes fighting and just general crankiness by all.

4. Brush your teeth.

The last thing we do before heading off to school in the morning is brush our teeth and it is also the last thing we do before bed each night. We strive to brush teeth twice a day and while it may not always happen, the majority of the time we are pretty good about it.

5.  Wash hands.

We are frequent hand washers. When we cannot wash hands, we use Purell. Each child has a bottle attached to their backpacks, both my husband and I have bottle in our cars and I have one in my purse as well. As a busy family on the go, soap and water isn't always available. Purell gives me peace of mind and keeps the germs away.

6.Visit your doctor for yearly checkups.

This seems like a no-brainer but your doctor is there to keep your kids healthy as well.

7. Watch the schedule.

An overscheduled kid is almost always an unhappy kid. When my kids have no time for themselves, they tend to get grouchy. I try to watch the schedule and not pack too much in but on weeks when I cannot do that, I make certain they get enough sleep and are eating right to give them energy.

8. Set the example.

This is the hardest one for me. I work a lot. I volunteer. I try to do it all. As a result, I don't always eat right and I almost never get enough sleep. I am trying to do better. Setting a good example is important.

What do you do to keep your kids happy and healthy?

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I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and PURELL® Hand Sanitizer blogging program, to earn My SocialMoms Rewards Points/compensation. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.