3 Ways to Look After Your Child’s Brain.

When we think of getting children ready for school we tend to think of school supplies. But there is a much more important way to help your child get ready for school – make sure that their brain is healthy!

Children need to use their brains to learn. Their brains needs looking after if you want them to work well.

Here are three simple things you can do to look after your child’s brain.

1.  Make sure they sleep at least eight to nine hours a night.

Sleep deprivation can impair learning as much as brain damage.  As your child sleeps their brain is consolidating the learning that took place when they were awake.

Think of a brain as being like a super dishwasher.  During the day it gets full of all kinds of stuff.  When you sleep your brain not only cleans the dishes, it puts them away where you can find them again!

If your child doesn’t get enough sleep they can never find the thoughts – or the dishes – that they need!

2.  Feed your child’s brain.

Brains needs energy to work well- you need to give your child the energy their brain needs.  At the start of the day, as their brain is getting ready to do a day’s work, make sure it the energy it needs.  You should never allow your child to skip breakfast, and  make sure that breakfast includes some protein – cereals and milk are fine.

Don’t let your child rely on drugs (coffee) to wake up their brain!  Give it the food it requires for the work  it must do.

3.  Help your child’s  brain grow.

Your child’s brain is a muscle, it need daily  exercise.

Exercise leads to the development of new brain cells, so make sure that your child walks, runs, skateboards, swims …..   Whatever it takes to give your child’s brain some daily exercise.

These suggestions are based on the work coming from Duke’s Center for Child and Family Policy.