Norman Gardens (Australia), Last month, Ballarat's Clarendon College launched a trial to ban water bottles in the classroom for Year 5 to 9 students. According to the school, "initial feedback" indicates that it has reduced noise and bathroom breaks during class time. ,
Along with becoming a status symbol and fashion item, water bottles are now considered essential for school too.
So how much water do children need in a day? And what effect does it have on their brain?
How much fluid do children and teens need?
The amount of fluid children need will depend on the weather and how much physical activity they do. But as a general guideline: children aged four to eight should drink about 1.2 liters of water per day.For boys aged nine to 13 years it should be 1.6 litres.
Girls aged nine to 13 years should drink 1.4 liters of water.
Boys above 14 years of age should drink 1.9 liters of water
Girls above 14 years of age should drink 1.6 liters of water. As the Australian Dietary Guidelines emphasize, it is better to meet most fluid needs by drinking plain water. If your child doesn't like to drink water, you can consider adding a little juice to it.Research shows that many school-going children do not drink enough alcohol and arrive at school already dehydrated. A 2017 study involving 6,469 children (aged four to 17) from 13 countries (except Australia) found that 60% of children and 75% of adolescents do not consume enough water.
How often do they need to drink?
There is no specific advice about how often children and teenagers should drink alcohol. But the main message of the research is that students should start drinking as soon as they wake up in the morning.
Drinking water first thing in the morning regulates the body and brain to use water better, which improves mental performance for the rest of the day.Research also tells us that children need to drink adequate amounts of water (about 250-300 ml) throughout the day, and not just small sips here and there, to keep the brain hydrated.
Why is water so important for our brain?
About 75% of the total mass of the brain is water and our brain needs water to function.
Among other functions, water helps brain cells and tissues balance hormone levels, maintain proper blood flow, and deliver vitamins, minerals and oxygen to your brain. Even mild levels of dehydration can increase levels of the hormone cortisol, causing a nervous, stressed feeling. And irritability. It can also disrupt the brain's information processing as well as our energy levels, emotions, and behavior.So if students are kept adequately hydrated it sets their brains in the optimal state to concentrate and pay attention in school.
How can water help learning?
In addition to helping our bodies function, research also shows that drinking water can help our brains learn.
A 2020 study of German children in Years 5 and 6 showed that those who drank at least 50% of their daily requirement of water (about 1 litre) over a four-hour period in the morning had better memory performance overall. It happens. Research showed that children's ability to pay attention to visual information was significantly better after drinking water compared to not drinking water.
A 2019 US study looked at the effects of water on the "cognitive flexibility" of youth.It is the ability to think about multiple concepts at the same time or to quickly switch thinking between two concepts.
Over four days, nine to eleven year old children were given different amounts to drink. People who drank 2.5 liters of water (more than the recommended amount) in 24 hours were better at switching between mental tasks than those who drank less. Water is part of children's daily routine
Having other regular moments to drink water can also help create stable routines for children and youth. Routines are an important way to manage attention, emotions, and behavior.It is not necessary to have a water break during class (especially if schools consider it disruptive). But they need to be on at predictable times during the day.
Therefore, drinking water when children wake up, at mealtimes, when children walk to school, at the beginning or end of classes and when they get home can all provide useful anchor points.(talk)NSA
NSA
Along with becoming a status symbol and fashion item, water bottles are now considered essential for school too.
So how much water do children need in a day? And what effect does it have on their brain?
How much fluid do children and teens need?
The amount of fluid children need will depend on the weather and how much physical activity they do. But as a general guideline: children aged four to eight should drink about 1.2 liters of water per day.For boys aged nine to 13 years it should be 1.6 litres.
Girls aged nine to 13 years should drink 1.4 liters of water.
Boys above 14 years of age should drink 1.9 liters of water
Girls above 14 years of age should drink 1.6 liters of water. As the Australian Dietary Guidelines emphasize, it is better to meet most fluid needs by drinking plain water. If your child doesn't like to drink water, you can consider adding a little juice to it.Research shows that many school-going children do not drink enough alcohol and arrive at school already dehydrated. A 2017 study involving 6,469 children (aged four to 17) from 13 countries (except Australia) found that 60% of children and 75% of adolescents do not consume enough water.
How often do they need to drink?
There is no specific advice about how often children and teenagers should drink alcohol. But the main message of the research is that students should start drinking as soon as they wake up in the morning.
Drinking water first thing in the morning regulates the body and brain to use water better, which improves mental performance for the rest of the day.Research also tells us that children need to drink adequate amounts of water (about 250-300 ml) throughout the day, and not just small sips here and there, to keep the brain hydrated.
Why is water so important for our brain?
About 75% of the total mass of the brain is water and our brain needs water to function.
Among other functions, water helps brain cells and tissues balance hormone levels, maintain proper blood flow, and deliver vitamins, minerals and oxygen to your brain. Even mild levels of dehydration can increase levels of the hormone cortisol, causing a nervous, stressed feeling. And irritability. It can also disrupt the brain's information processing as well as our energy levels, emotions, and behavior.So if students are kept adequately hydrated it sets their brains in the optimal state to concentrate and pay attention in school.
How can water help learning?
In addition to helping our bodies function, research also shows that drinking water can help our brains learn.
A 2020 study of German children in Years 5 and 6 showed that those who drank at least 50% of their daily requirement of water (about 1 litre) over a four-hour period in the morning had better memory performance overall. It happens. Research showed that children's ability to pay attention to visual information was significantly better after drinking water compared to not drinking water.
A 2019 US study looked at the effects of water on the "cognitive flexibility" of youth.It is the ability to think about multiple concepts at the same time or to quickly switch thinking between two concepts.
Over four days, nine to eleven year old children were given different amounts to drink. People who drank 2.5 liters of water (more than the recommended amount) in 24 hours were better at switching between mental tasks than those who drank less. Water is part of children's daily routine
Having other regular moments to drink water can also help create stable routines for children and youth. Routines are an important way to manage attention, emotions, and behavior.It is not necessary to have a water break during class (especially if schools consider it disruptive). But they need to be on at predictable times during the day.
Therefore, drinking water when children wake up, at mealtimes, when children walk to school, at the beginning or end of classes and when they get home can all provide useful anchor points.(talk)NSA
NSA
