Everyday Tips for Healthier Kids

August 3, 2026

August brings a shift in routines as families prepare for another school year. New schedules, supplies, activities, and responsibilities make this a useful time to address a few children’s health concerns that can be easy to overlook.

A child’s well-being can be affected by something as simple as the weight of a backpack, the volume of their headphones, the way medicine is stored, or how a packed lunch is handled before noon. These day-to-day details can influence comfort, safety, and a child’s ability to participate fully both at school and at home.

In this month’s Workday Wellness, we’re sharing practical children’s health tips families can use to begin the school year with safer, more supportive routines.

Why Does Everyday Safety Belong in a Children’s Wellness Routine?

Children’s health is shaped by more than scheduled appointments or what happens when someone is already sick. Daily environments and routines also play an important role.

A backpack worn every day can contribute to neck, shoulder, or back discomfort when it is too heavy. Loud earbuds or headphones may expose a child to harmful noise without producing immediate warning signs. Medicine left on a counter or in an unlocked bag may create a poisoning risk in a matter of seconds.

A few checks at the beginning of the school year can help families identify risks, teach safer habits, and make healthy choices easier to maintain.

Children’s Health By the Numbers

More than half of children ages 6 to 8 have had a cavity in at least one primary tooth. *
As many as 17% of teens ages 12 to 19 have hearing-test features that may indicate noise-induced hearing loss in one or both ears. **
Sounds at or above 85 decibels can damage hearing when exposure is long or repeated. **
A child’s backpack should weigh no more than 15% of their body weight. ***
Children younger than 6 account for roughly half of the human exposure cases reported to U.S. poison centers. ****

5 Tips for Healthier Kids

1. Give Oral Health a Place in the Daily Routine

Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic health conditions among children. Cavities can cause pain, difficulty eating, and problems concentrating at school.

The CDC recommends brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.* Young children often need help brushing thoroughly, while older children may still benefit from reminders to brush for two full minutes and reach their back teeth.

2. Check the Fit and Weight of Backpacks

When a backpack is too heavy or hangs too low, a child may lean forward or change their posture to compensate.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping a loaded backpack below 15% of the child’s body weight.*** A child who weighs 60 pounds, for example, should carry no more than about nine pounds. Red marks, numbness, discomfort, or noticeable posture changes may indicate that the backpack needs to be adjusted or lightened.

3. Teach Safer Listening Habits

Headphones and earbuds are common during homework, travel, gaming, and school assignments. Long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. Music played through headphones at maximum volume may reach between 94 and 110 decibels.**

Encourage children to keep the volume low enough to hear someone speaking nearby, use built-in volume limits, and take regular listening breaks. Properly fitted hearing protection can also help at concerts, sporting events, fireworks displays, and other loud activities.

4. Store Medicine and Household Products Safely

Prescription medicine, pain relievers, vitamins, cleaning products, cannabis products, and nicotine products can all pose risks when stored within a child’s reach. Keep these items up, away, and out of sight, preferably in a locked cabinet or container.

Save the Poison Help number, 1-800-222-1222, in every caregiver’s phone. Call 911 immediately if a child has collapsed, cannot breathe, is having a seizure, or cannot be awakened.

5. Pack Lunches with Food Safety in Mind

A packed lunch may sit for several hours before it is eaten, making temperature control especially important during warm August weather.

Use an insulated lunch bag with at least two cold sources for meat, eggs, yogurt, cheese, cut fruit, and other perishable foods. Families managing a food allergy should confirm that the school has current written instructions, necessary medication, and emergency contact information.