Drinking plenty of water is obviously important, but what about hydration during school hours?

How can you ensure your kids are drinking enough water while they’re at school?

You may think this isn’t really a problem.

After all, there are plenty of other issues to worry about when it comes to kids, such as their safety at school, their academic performance, social functions, etc.

But, there are very important reasons to be mindful of kids’ hydration during school.

How Serious is Kids’ Dehydration?

The American Journal of Public Health released a study in 2015 that found that more than half of children in the United States are under-hydrated.

The majority of kids and adolescents in the United States aren’t drinking enough water.

About a quarter of those in the study reported that they never consumed plain water.

Hydration helps kids, and all people, in many ways. It promotes blood circulation, temperature regulation, and metabolism.

It also helps kids perform better physically and cognitively.

Even if a child is only mildly dehydrated, they can suffer from headaches, fatigue, and irritability.

It’s easy to see how these symptoms affect a child’s school day.

For this reason, kids’ dehydration is pretty serious and should be considered more often.

Sugary Drinks and Dehydration

One of the biggest causes of kids’ dehydration is what they’re drinking. Many children prefer not to drink water.

Instead, they consume drinks with tons of sugar, like juice, soda, sweetened tea, or sports drinks.

These drinks may actually help cause dehydration.

Sugary drinks affect all Americans and makeup almost half of the sugar consumed in the population.

The average amount of drink sugar consumed by children is 30 gallons a year. That amount of sugar will fill a bathtub!

As a parent, how do you combat this statistic while your child is at school?

If the cafeterias and vending machines promote sugary drinks, why would your child choose water?

Here is a much healthier alternative if your child is wanting some flavor for their water.

Hydration Begins at Home

While parents may not be able to fully monitor their child’s drinking habits during school, it all begins at home.

If you teach your child from a young age to love water, they will more likely choose to drink it during school hours.

If you don’t buy sugary drinks at home, they will be drinking more pure water, even if they do drink sodas or juice during school hours.

Remind them to drink water when they’re at home. The more they hear you say the words, the more they’ll think of it during school hours.

Give them water to take to school. If they carry clean water in their backpack, they’ll more likely drink throughout the day.

This will also help you monitor their water consumption. If the bottle comes home full, they’re probably not drinking enough. Gently remind them to drink more.

If they’re involved in a school physical activity, like volleyball or football, remind them to drink water regularly during practices and games.

Finally, it never hurts to tell them WHY it’s important to drink plenty of water.

Share with them the harmful effects of dehydration that are listed above.

Whether they understand it yet or not, hydration during school hours will help them in the long run.

Clean Water Protects Kids from Dehydration

Parents have a plethora of worries when it comes to their kids. Water consumption may be the last on the list.

But when kids go to school, it is important that they have focus and energy to concentrate. They must be able to be mentally and physically prepared.

Clean water, and lots of it, allows your kids to have optimum focus during school hours.

So be sure to equip them with the knowledge and tools necessary to have a productive and successful school day.