Ask most teens if they would enjoy sleeping in later and the majority will answer with a resounding YES.

Morning can be a struggle for students, especially as they get older and their bodies begin to change. As reported in an article on Slate.com, our body’s natural sleep patterns change as we age. From puberty until 19-21, our bodies are programmed to fall asleep and wake up later. This means teenagers often don’t feel tired until after 11 PM, making waking up, getting ready, and being alert and focused in class by as early as 8 am nearly impossible. Couple that with the fact that teens typically need 9 hours of sleep per night, and our societal habits of having televisions, laptops, cell phones, and other tech devices in the bedroom and in use before bed, and it’s little wonder teens have trouble getting proper amounts of sleep and often fall asleep in class.

So what if school started later? Slate reported that in the U.S. several schools put back the start of the school day and found that found that “academic performance was enhanced, as was attendance, [and] [s]leeping in class declined, as did self-reported depression.”

However, later start times don’t seem to be the only answer. Students can take control by taking sleep more seriously, and realizing it is as fundamental to staying healthy physically and mentally as a proper diet and regular exercise.

Sleep is a biological need. And not getting enough of it doesn’t just cause grumpiness; disrupted/lack of sleep increases the level of the stress hormone cortisol and affects decision making, reflexes/response time, increases impulsive behaviours, and most importantly, has negative effects on learning. Students and parents need to implement a proper sleep schedule, and stick to it (even on weekends!)

To determine if your child has a healthy sleep routine, check out our sleep checklist.

To read more on teen sleep patterns, click here, and to read more on all the ways to keep your child’s brain and body healthy at any age, check out our newsletter.

You’ve heard it over and over again: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So why do so many of us skip it?

It’s no secret mornings can be hectic. Between cries for “just 5 more minutes!”, battles for bathroom time, and last minute scrambles to sign permission forms or get book bags packed and ready for the school day, there’s little time to sit down together and have a healthy breakfast.

Exercising and eating healthy can benefit the body AND the brain, and breakfast is an important way to get both ready for a full day of learning and activity. Without it, students are lethargic, unfocused, and of course, hungry!

Food is fuel and these numbers prove making a healthy breakfast part of your family’s morning routine is very important!

Click on the image to see the full infographic

Click here to check out our newsletter on how exercise, sleep, and nutrition can help you get better grades!

With spring just around the corner, students (and adults) are getting excited to get outside and get active.

So what does physical fitness have to do with students’ test scores?

A study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness reports that middle school students in the best physical shape scored the highest on standardized tests and received better overall grades on their report cards than their less-fit classmates.

Global News reports that the study’s lead researcher Dawn Coe says the study is one of the first to examine all aspects of physical fitness, including body fat, flexibility, endurance, and muscular strength in relation to academic performance.

This could be just the wake up call Canadian children need, as the annual Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card states that only 7% of Canadian youth are getting the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day, and that the average child spends 63% of their free time idle.

Want to read more on the link between physical fitness and academic performance? Click here.

And don’t forget that exercise is only one way to improve academic performance. Getting a good night’s sleep is important too. To read more, click here.

There’s no doubt everyone feels a little sleepy the first few days back to work or school after the holidays. But routines shouldn’t change drastically when school is not in session: keeping similar sleep and wake times can help your child get into the school routine more quickly than those who spend their holidays staying up late and sleeping in every day.

Children don’t only feel lethargic and tired just after holidays though. Many students have difficulty getting up each morning after staying up late watching TV or texting. This can lead to students falling asleep in class, or being awake but not cognitively alert enough to process and store new information from morning classes. This can have a direct effect on your child’s grades, as lack of sleep impairs the brain’s ability to transfer and store information to long-term memory.

Check out our sleep checklist to help determine if your child is getting the right amount of Zzz’s to get those A’s!

Click the image to download a PDF copy

Want Better Grades Next Fall?  Get Outside this Summer.

There are many factors  to consider in the quest for better grades. There’s the academic considerations: increased study time, hiring tutors, developing better habits such as time management and organization, and fine-tuning in-class learning skills.

And there are the at-home considerations:  improving sleep habits, implementing routines, and reducing screen time.

But new studies are showing that one factor that is often overlooked in the quest to improve kids’ educational experience: nature.

The so-called “Nature-Deficit Disorder”  is not necessarily a new term, but researchers and educators are recognizing and embracing the call of the wild and making it an essential part of the curriculum.

Getting outdoors in the summer is win-win-win.

WIN 1: Outdoor activity increases health benefits and combats the worrisome rise of childhood obesity rates in North America.

WIN 2: It increases blood flow to the brain, nourishing brain cells and strengthening neural connections. It improves mood and combats depression, which improves focus.

WIN 3: It gets kids outside, and away from the screens.

Start Young.

Canadian Statistics show that a 4 year-old’s physical activity can predict  activity level at age 17.

A new British survey has even put together a “Bucket List” of Outdoor Activities For Kids to do before they are 11 and three-quarters. (But no explanation of why 11 and three-quarters is the magic age. If you know why, let us know! )

Here are just a few of the ideas from the Free-and-Easy-and-Fun activities that you can easily incorporate into your family’s summer To-Do List:

• Fly a kite
• Learn how to skip a stone
• Make a Mud pie
• Dam a stream
• Bury someone in the sand
• Climb a tree
• Plant something.
• Discover what’s in a pond
• Find your way with a compass

So get the kids outside this summer! Lather on the sunscreen and don’t be afraid of scraped knees. Summer outdoor activity is critical to both childhood and to grades.

Don’t leave yet! Read more:

The Brain Never Goes on Vacation

Camping in the Digital Age

Let Your Kids Have Some Fun

Does it take brains or brawn to solve a challenge such as traffic dodging?

That was the premise behind a recent study that pitted athletes against non-athletic university students in a virtual-reality test of students’ ability to cross busy city roads.

The result? Maybe not surprisingly, the student athletes completed the task more successfully; however, the study says that the real surprise is that the success is not because the athletes are in better physical shape.

The study showed that the athletes glanced down the street more frequently than the non-athletes, and were able to make quicker judgment calls—in other words, they could process data more quickly and more accurately.

Researchers linked this ability to the training that athletes receive when playing sports; athletes often have to make split-second decisions in the middle of play—who to pass to, where the ball is, to run or to stop.

This on-the-spot decision-making doesn’t just make athletes superior at sports, it develops mental processing abilities that pay off in the classroom as well.

The study also indicates that regular physical activity can increase mental skills such as concentration.

The Takeaway:

Get the blood pumping! Regular physical activity increases blood flow to the brain and builds new neural connections.

Join a sports team! The instantaneous analysis and decision-making required in organized sports, as well as the ongoing practicing, help strengthen mental processing abilities and important school skills such as focus.

Read more:
Child Not Making The Grade? Exercise is the Solution!

We already know why it’s important to make learning part of your holidays, so, with the holidays fast approaching, we compiled 12 ideas to keep your kids mentally engaged over the holiday season. Check in often for new ideas, and if you have your own idea, we’d love to hear it!

Day 3: Take a Hike
Studies have shown that physical activity isn’t just good for the body, it’s great for the brain as well. Increased blood flow to the brain helps increase memory function as well as a whole host of other complicated science-type stuff. Basically, if you get the blood pumping, you get the wheels turning.

So, why not take advantage of the holiday weather—whether it’s blistery cold or balmy and beautiful—and take a family hike? Chase the kids around. Have a snowball fight. Walk around the neighbourhood and look at the lights. Whatever you plan for the holidays, include physical activity and your kids will stay sharp for the entire festive season.

Tip 1: Get Crafty Together
Tip 2: Snuggle Up With a Book

When it comes to back-to-school prep, getting kids ready to head back to the classroom involves more than just new school supplies and an updated wardrobe. Kids need to get mentally psyched up for the return to the classroom. But, when do you start back-to school prep? A few days before? Maybe a week?

How about right now? By re-introducing school-year habits and routines well before school begins, and by engaging in activities that kick the brain into high gear, kids naturally shift out of the summer mindset and get ready for a year of learning.

Our 10 Back-To-School Tips help you get your entire family on track for a better school year…starting right now.

1. Up and At ‘Em. The first bell of the school year rings early—sometimes, much earlier than kids and parents would like. Take the fumbling and grumbling out of school mornings by setting a wake-up schedule now. If kids don’t have an alarm clock, why not get them their own and let them take responsibility for waking up in the morning?
2. Hit the sheets. Nothing makes an early morning routine worse than a lack of sleep the night before. Plus, kids need a full night’s sleep to stay mentally alert all day in class. Start implementing bedtimes…even for older kids. It makes learning (and morning routines) that much easier.
3. Good Grub. Research continually shows the importance of eating a healthy breakfast, especially for students in class all day. Without proper morning nutrition, kids can feel drowsy and distracted. You want your kid focused on the teacher, not on his/her growling belly.
4. What to wear, what to wear. Avoid last-minute searches for green socks, or favourite baseball caps by picking out the next day’s clothes the night before. If you are selecting the wardrobe, give kids a few options and let them choose. They’ll feel a sense of inclusion and responsibility when they feel that they have a say in the decision-making.
5. I’ll take that to go, please. Unless you pay for school lunches, midday grub usually comes packed from home. Get into the habit of planning lunches the day before, whether it’s leftovers, or simple sandwiches, and take the question mark out of lunchtime meal planning. It’s one less thing that you’ll have to worry about in the morning.
6. We now return to our regular-scheduled programming. The school day is all about scheduled timing. Start times. End times. Recess. Lunch. As much as possible, follow a schedule that mimics the school day. This includes wake up times, bedtimes, playtimes, TV time, and lunchtime. Don’t forget to make time in the day for learning too!
7. TV off, homework on. During the school year, TV and computers are kids’ biggest homework distraction. Start eliminating that bad homework habit by turning off the TV during the after-school hours, coming to the table, and engaging in some sort of brain-challenging activity.
8. Read. Reading is probably the single best way to keep kids mentally active all year long. Plus, it’s a great way for kids to practice sustaining their attention span, to build their vocabulary, and to develop their reading comprehension skills.
9. Use the ‘S’ word. Help kids get in the school frame of mind by talking about school. How many days are left until the first day? What are the kids looking forward to? What are they nervous about? What is the best memory from last year? Kids may need some conversational prompting, so reference highlights from last year and be sure to keep it positive to build excitement!
10. Something else? Okay so we could use your help thinking of a 10th item to round out our list! How are you getting your family ready for back-to-school? We’d love to hear your family’s tips! Share your back-to-school ideas in the comments section below. If we pick your idea as our 10th tip, we’ll send you Oxford Learning back-to-school swag!

The link between nutrition, thinking, and learning is not a new concept.

The idea holds that if certain foods can promote better thinking and learning—fresh fruits and veggies, fish, vitamins, etc.— then it stands to reason that other foods can detract from the ability to learn.

There are many foods on this list, but sugars are the most common substance linked to behavioural and learning challenges.

Often, it’s not food itself that causes problems, but what is ADDED to the food.

The Centre for Science in the Public Interest has published an in-depth study called “A Rainbow of Risks” that links food colouring to attention deficit issues.

Food colouring is not an easy substance to avoid—it is in many everyday foods—even used (according to the report) to colour the rinds of oranges.

The danger is that food colouring appears in foods that are most popular with children: candy, soft drinks, milkshakes, etc. Even more important is that these foods make up a large portion of children’s diets, and developmentally, children are the most vulnerable to developing issues from the food that they eat.

Food colouring is not alone in its link to ADD and ADHD. www.Care2.com lists the 5 foods linked to ADD and ADHD as:

1. Fast foods
2. Processed meats
3. Red meat
4. High fat dairy products
5. Sweets

Food colouring is not just linked to attention deficit issues. An article on Babble.com notes that Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 cause allergic reactions, and Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6, the three most widely used dyes, are also known carcinogens.

This information can be very helpful for families with children on the ADD/ADHD spectrum. Label reading and eliminating foods high in food colouring may help these families see improvement in ADD and ADHD symptoms.

When kids get sick, they miss school. And when kids miss school, they miss out on important learning opportunities, which can put them behind academically.

To ensure that our kids get the most of their learning, every single day, they need to stay healthy.

While we may not be able to prevent the flu, we can ensure that we are doing everything that we can to prevent the spread of illness and to be as healthy as possible.

Too often, we think of treating illness only after symptoms are present. But there are plenty of actions that you can take to PREVENT symptoms from even appearing.

These tips can help your family stay well—and well educated—throughout the flu season.

1. Disinfect frequently touched surfaces often.
2. Wash hands several times a day with warm water and soap for a minimum of 20 seconds. That’s the time that it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.
3. Add supplements into your family’s diet. Vitamins C and D are great.
4. Maintain or augment the amount of sleep that your family gets. The better rested we are, the less run down we get.
5. Keep hands away from the face—the eyes, nose, mouth and ears can easily breed germs passed along by the hands.
6. Gargle with warm salt water to prevent sore throats and keep germs at bay.
7. Eat healthy foods that are natural infection fighters, such as garlic and onions.
8. Drink plenty of warm liquids.
9. Exercise moderately so that if you do get ill, symptoms will not be as bad.
10. If you are feeling unwell, stay home and stay away from public places.