Student wellness in virtual learning is pivotal to both personal and academic growth. As a parent, you want to encourage healthy habits for your child in all areas, whether it’s exercise, healthy eating, or social interaction. If you need tips for a healthy student lifestyle, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s explore five ways kids can stay healthy.
How Does Physical and Mental Health Influence Learning?
Both physical and mental health impact learning and academic success. Research shows that physically active students tend to have better grades, attendance, cognitive performance, and classroom behavior. Additionally, student mental health is linked to concentration, test-taking abilities, motivation, and overall academic performance.
While this applies to all learning environments, it’s particularly important for online students to practice strong focus and time management. They must succeed academically without the constant oversight of in-person teachers. Thankfully, there are various ways to help your child stay healthy physically and mentally so they can perform well in school.
5 Ways Online Students Can Stay Healthy
From encouraging physical activity to creating a distraction-free workspace, there are many ways to support a healthy lifestyle for your child. Browse these five health tips for online students.
1. Make Time for Exercise
Incorporating physical activity into your student’s daily routine is important for their overall health and wellbeing. There are plenty of exercises, stretches, and games for both indoor and outdoor activities. You can easily help your child find what exercises work for them, helping them create and stick to an active schedule.
Children aged six to 17 should complete at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day. Whether it’s taking brief exercise breaks between classes or playing outdoors for an hour after school, there are many ways to work this physical activity into their routine. Here are some ideas to consider:
- Having a dance party: Clear the area and put on some upbeat tunes for the ultimate dance party with your child. You can search online videos of easy dance moves to try and even add a disco ball for ambiance. This is a fun and healthy way to unwind, de-stress, and get in some physical activity for the day.
- Walking and jogging: Whether it’s using a treadmill, walking up and down the stairs, or jogging in the park, this is a great exercise to maintain a healthy weight and strengthen the muscles.
- Hula hooping: Hula hooping is a great core workout for your student. They can even try spinning it around the arms and ankles for a fun challenge.
- Going to the playground: With various equipment for swinging, climbing, and pullups, a playground is essentially a gym for children. Tweens and teens can use the benches for pushups, grassy areas for squats and lunges, and hills and stairs for climbing.
2. Embrace a Healthy Diet
Research suggests that healthy eating improves brain function, memory, concentration, and academic performance. It’s important to know what foods to eat regularly and which ones to consume in moderation. Some healthy foods to work into your child’s diet are:
- Whole-grain bread and cereals
- Fruits and vegetables
- Poultry
- Red meat
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Milk
- Yogurt
- Cheese
Remember to limit lower-nutrient foods like chips, candy, soda, cookies, and fried foods. Remind your child to drink plenty of water as well.
3. Socialize With Friends and Family
Social interaction with family and friends provides many benefits like academic and career achievement, better mental health, and reduced stress. Here are some ways to help your child socialize both inside and outside of school:
- School clubs and activities: Whether your child is interested in art, theater, science, or literature, there is a variety of extracurricular activities and clubs they can join. Students can pursue their talents, acquire new interests, and meet new people through extracurricular programs.
- Social and educational field trips:Field trips allow students a rich educational experience through hands-on activities. These reinforce the material learned in the virtual classroom. They also encourage socialization as students participate in these activities together.
- Playdates: A playdate for your child and their friends offers a safe setting for them to practice social skills. The kids can practice sharing, taking turns, being polite, and other important manners.
- Practicing conversation: Breaking the ice and striking up a conversation can be challenging for many children. However, this is important for building friendships and social skills. Take advantage of car rides and dinnertime to practice conversational skills with your child. Brainstorm open-ended questions and topics to engage your child and other family members.
4. Prioritize Stress-Busting Activities
Learning new course material, completing multiple schoolwork assignments, and studying for a big test can be overwhelming for students. It’s important to prioritize relaxation and de-stressing techniques for good mental health. Below are some stress-busting activities for students:
- Deep breathing
- Journaling
- Sensory items like stress balls or playdough
- Visualizing positive and relaxing images to block out stressful ones
- Listening to music
- Stretching and exercise
5. Create a Calm and Distraction-Free Workspace
Your child should have a quiet and organized space to work, study, and learn effectively. A noisy, cluttered workspace can create anxiety as it overwhelms and distracts the mind. Here are some tips for setting up an efficient workspace:
- Eliminate distractions: Ensure your student’s workspace is free of distractions like video games, television, pets, and other people. Rather than a high-traffic area like the living room or kitchen, dedicate a quiet spare room or office to your child’s online schooling.
- Organize supplies: Establish folders and notebooks for different courses to keep subjects organized. Store school supplies in labeled baskets, drawers, or shelves to prevent a cluttered desk.
- Prioritize ergonomics: An ergonomic workspace promotes better sitting posture, reduces stress, and improves focus and learning. Consider a comfortable office chair, sit-stand desk, keyboard with a wrist rest, and blue light glasses.
- Personalize their desk: Personalization creates a safe haven for learning and promotes a sense of control. Place some of your student’s favorite items — like posters, framed photos, or artwork — around their workspace. A potted plant adds a decorative and natural touch as well.
How Does Cyber School Encourage Healthy Habits?
At CCA, we prioritize healthy habits for online students in a variety of ways, from socialization opportunities to family services to flexible scheduling. With our personalized education program for cyber students, your child can experience a curriculum tailored to their unique skills and interests, participate in various extracurricular activities, interact with other students, and more.
Our flexible class scheduling also accommodates students’ family time, physical exercise, and other priorities. This way, they can build a daily routine to their liking and strike a healthy balance between school and personal life.
To learn more about how CCA promotes a healthy lifestyle for students, contact us today.
