Healthy, Active Children and Academic Achievement

We all want our children to enjoy learning, make good grades and achieve success. Nutrition and physical activity are linked to academic achievement, so making sure your children are healthy and active will fuel them to reach their academic goals.

A healthy lifestyle can help improve a child’s:

• Attention span
• Thinking ability
• Memory

Here are some tips for making healthy eating and physical activity part of your child’s daily life. For more nutrition and physical activity help, contact Military OneSource online, or call 800-342-9647, and set up a specialty consultation for health and wellness coaching. OCONUS/International? Click here for calling options.

Your child’s nutrition

Hungry kids tend to have shorter attention spans and have difficulty with problem solving, math skills and memory recall, according to studies from the Journal of School Health. Children need a nutritional breakfast of whole grains, fiber and protein. They also need snacks throughout the day that are high in protein and low in sugar, to boost their ability to listen, process and remember what they are learning.

Visit these websites to get tips about healthy food choices:

• ChooseMyPlate.gov, for the Nutrition Education Series that you can post at home.
• Defense Commissary Agency, for recipes, cooking tips and more.
• Eating Healthy, for tips on making healthy choices.

Physical activity

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Physical activity can include school recess periods, hiking, dancing, playing sports, or walking to and from school.

Check out the following resources for ideas about how to keep your children physically active:

• Morale, Welfare and Recreation, to find local activities on your installation
• Installation youth centers, to locate a safe, kid-oriented environment
• Boys and Girls Club of America, Military Partnership, for community participation opportunities.

Boost your child’s social and academic success by making healthy eating and physical activity part of your family’s daily life.