How parents can prepare for their kids to head back to school

TAMPA, Fla. - With the first day of school right around the corner, this week is a good time to start easing back into that school routine with your kids.

"Academic performance is based off of what we eat. So we want kids to make sure that they're eating all five food groups," Mallory Carteaux, an exercise physiologist with Johns Hopkins All Children’s said.

Not only does the meal need to be something your kid will actually eat and can eat in a timed lunch period, experts say the goal is to make it as healthy as possible.

What kids eat is also important for how well they do in school.

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In fact, taking inspiration from meals your family has enjoyed over the last couple of months isn’t a bad place to start, Carteaux said.

Ideas include homemade Lunchable-type or snack board-inspired meals – that include whole grain crackers and low-fat cheese – and leftover pasta salad made with whole grain pasta.

Leftover pasta could be a good meal for kids.

Sneaking in those dreaded veggies isn’t always easy.

"Kids always love ranch dressing," Carteaux shared. "So if you do some vegetables and make your own ranch: You can do that by taking some plain Greek yogurt and adding a ranch seasoning packet into that. So then you're going to be controlling some of the other ingredients that are going into it and giving them a healthy protein."

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Shaking off summer habits and transitioning back to a school routine can be tough, experts admit.

Making sure kids are off their phones and devices before bedtime is important.

"Letting them know that you can have screen time, just not right before bedtime," AdventHealth Medical Group pediatrician Dr. Sharon Rachapudi explained. "So just shifting things around gradually I think is the best way to get them used to these changes."

When it comes to sleep schedules, Rachapudi suggests moving up bedtime by 15 minutes each day this week.

"There's also other things that you can do, ensuring that there's good sleep hygiene: Starting to move phones and other electronics out of the bedroom, just because those have been shown to disrupt sleep as well," Rachapudi said.