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August is Immunization Awareness Month
Back to School: It’s Time to Schedule Your Child’s Yearly Checkups
August is back-to-school time! As you and your child prepare for the new school year, it’s also time to schedule their yearly wellness checkup. These checkups help prepare your child for the upcoming school year with health evaluations, but also serve as a great opportunity to check on their overall physical, mental and social health.
What do these wellness checkups look like? Here are a few things you can expect your child’s checkup to cover:
- Importance of sleep
- Immunizations (see more information below)
- Nutrition and healthy eating
- Physical activity and weight management
- Current height and weight measurements
- Vision and hearing tests
- Screenings for abnormalities
- Social development
- Mental health
- Updated medical history, including medications
Clearly, there are a lot of things to evaluate during a wellness checkup, and these appointments are the best way to assess your child’s health and wellness. In addition, preparing for the new school year by discussing immunizations and medications will help ensure that your child is ready to go. To help determine which immunizations are recommended for your child this year, consult this schedule:
Click here to download full PDF of schedule.
Transitioning back to school or starting for the first time can create extra challenges for your child, particularly in stressful times. A new start often means a lot of changes, new routines and meeting new people. School-age children who are sensitive or easily worried, or those who have developmental delays, may need extra time and help to adjust. If symptoms are serious and persistent and interfere with school, home or play activities, the child may be diagnosed with a mental issue or disorder. For more about children’s mental health and how to help your youngster transition back to school, check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
Social health reflects a child’s developing ability to form close, secure relationships with other familiar people in their lives. A child’s social competence is determined by those behaviors that permit them to develop and engage in positive interactions with others. These behaviors include:
Responding to and initiating interactions with other people.
Participating in cooperative and social activities.
Managing behavior and resolving conflict.
Awareness of oneself and others.
Showing empathy.
Developing a positive self-image and self-worth.
Thus, children’s social and emotional health is just as important as their physical health as it affects their capacity to develop and their potential to lead a fulfilling life. For more about promoting your child’s social and emotional health, check out the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s website.
To access the full article on wellness check-ups for kids, click here.
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