It is not uncommon to hear people say they do not like water.
Read on for information on water, its importance and how we can make it more pleasant to drink.
Plain water has a multitude of benefits and is inexpensive to buy.
Below is a list of some benefits your child will have when drinking the adequate amount of water:
- Maintenance of proper renal/kidney function
- Maintenance of adequate blood volume
- Helps in keeping a healthy weight
- Regulation and maintenance of body temperature
- Improvement in cognition and ability to learn
- Improvement in the level of concentration during lessons
- Improvement in strength, endurance, and performance during physical activity
- Decrease in dental caries
Hereunder is the Recommended Daily Water Intake by Age according to The British Dietetic Association. For school-aged children, fifty percent (50%) is to be consumed at school and 50% at home because they spend nearly equal (if not more at school) awake time in both settings.
The Church Schools participating in our project have taken a proactive approach by encouraging the children to increase their water consumption during school hours through the provision of regular structured water breaks in between lessons.
At home, parents need to encourage their children to drink a glass (approx. 200mL) of water first thing in the morning followed by another one upon return home and another one at supper time. The parents should drink with the children and lead by example – this is extremely important. You can not expect your child to drink water if you aren’t. Adults should drink approximately 2 Litres of water daily.
If your child does not like water get creative! Here are some tips to get your child to drink more water:
- Make water more fun using colored beakers, cups and straws
- Add fruit pieces to plain water. For example add some strawberries, kiwi, oranges or pineapple. These can be used separately or mixed together.
In the next post we will discuss the importance of choosing an appropriate water bottle and the importance of keeping them clean.