By Dr. Graham A. Colditz

Siteman Cancer Center

Now that kids are back in school, families are settling into their new routines after a long summer break. It can certainly be a busy time for everyone. But this transition can also be a great opportunity to help our kids — and our households — build healthy behaviors that can carry through the year, and beyond.

While many behaviors are important for our children’s health and wellness, improving their sleep and activity habits can have especially wide-ranging benefits.

“It is vital for children to get enough sleep, exercise regularly and limit screen time because these habits are strongly linked to positive outcomes for their physical, mental, cognitive and social development,” said Dr. Mary Fournier, an associate professor of pediatrics at WashU Medicine in St. Louis.

Together, these behaviors can help boost heart health, immune function and bone health, among other physical health benefits, she said. But the specific benefits can also reach many other key parts of children’s health and development.

“Each of these behaviors is beneficial, but when all three recommendations are followed, the combined effect is even greater and helps lower a child’s risk of anxiety, depression and behavior problems,“ Fournier said. “And research has shown that children with these healthy habits tend to perform better academically, think more clearly and have stronger attention, memory and executive function skills.”

A good goal for school-aged children is at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day, but this can include a combination of activities, like playing with friends, walking with the family and sports or other activities. For screen time on phones, computers and TV, it’s generally good to keep it under one to two hours a day outside of schoolwork. And while healthy sleep needs can vary, school-aged children should generally get around nine to 12 hours a night.

Fournier offered these tips to help families meet these goals:

Healthy Sleep

• Keep screens out of the bedroom — and stop all screen time 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.
• Make bedtime the same each night and make it early enough to allow for sufficient sleep.
• Create a relaxing bedtime routine. Dim the lights, put away screens and engage in soothing activities such as reading, drawing, writing, listening to quiet music or taking a warm bath or shower.

Limited Screen Time

• Keep screens out of the bedroom, especially at night.
• Plan non-screen activities. Play a game, read a book, draw a picture, put together a puzzle, or go outside to play.
• Save screen time for a special treat or time, especially for younger kids.

Daily Physical Activity

• Add physical activity to daily routines. Walk to school or the store, take the stairs instead of the elevator, involve your kids in active chores like vacuuming or raking leaves.
• Make it fun! Find activities that your child enjoys or that your family can do together.
• Be a good role model. Kids need to see regular exercise as a normal behavior for everyone. Plan family activities where you and your kids can exercise together — daily walks, family bike rides or impromptu dance parties.

This can feel like a lot, especially when life with kids can be busy and often unpredictable. But healthy changes don’t have to happen all at once. So, while it’s good to keep longer-term goals in mind, Fournier highlighted the benefits of realistic day-to-day changes:

“While working on all three behaviors can have an amplifying effect on a child’s overall health, even small improvements in any of them can help.”

Dr. Graham A. Colditz, associate director of prevention and control at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine in St. Louis, is an internationally recognized leader in cancer prevention and the creator of the 8ightWays® to Prevent Cancer series.