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There can be many reasons behind the reluctance to learn – from physiological (the child does not get enough sleep, does not have a balanced diet) to psychological and hormonal.
Also the periods “I don’t want to go to school!” have a direct connection with age characteristics.
So, in the first grade, the child simply does not have time to adjust to a serious school schedule. Especially if adults are chasing to prepare him as much as possible for school – to teach him to read, write. It is much more important to form a child’s subjective attitude towards school: to instill a love of knowledge, to give him the motivation to learn.
The second age stage, at which a decrease in interest in learning usually occurs, is the fifth grade, when the child’s value priorities change and he no longer considers the teacher as the main authority and shifts the emphasis on relationships with peers. Relationships are being restructured: someone will be a leader, someone will not. This self-determination is important for them now. And if these relationships are broken somewhere, then the motivation for learning may disappear. In addition, there are many more teachers in the fifth grade, and the child needs to adapt to this. At this stage, the motivation for self-education is also formed.
In high school, interest in learning can disappear from the fact that the student has not decided on his life goals. If by this period there is still no idea what he would like to devote himself to in the future, then there may be no motivation to study.
Whichever age your child is in, it is up to parents to provide the foundation for their child to have a good rest between school visits and have a balanced diet. Then it will not be so difficult for him to deal with daily stress.
How can I help him?
Sharing meals with parents will help to introduce the student to the principles of healthy eating, provided that the whole family eats right. Teach your child more about the health benefits of foods and the importance of nutrition in maintaining health.
If the child takes food to school with him, offer sandwiches with cheese, baked meat, a pie, a roll with cottage cheese, a bagel, a casserole, fruits, cheese cakes, yoghurts. Think about how to pack the food and how the child will be able to eat it. To do this, you should buy special containers, as well as wrap the sandwiches in plastic.
Avoid giving children completely low-fat dairy products, but prefer low-fat dairy products.
The calorie content of the student’s diet
Every day, the child should receive the following amount of calories:
- 7-10 years – 2400 kcal
- 14-17 years – 2600-3000 kcal
If a child goes in for sports, he should receive 300-500 kcal more.
What foods should make up the diet
Proteins. The most valuable for the child are fish and milk proteins, which are best absorbed by the child’s body. In second place in terms of quality is meat protein, in third place is vegetable protein. Every day, a student should receive 75-90 g of protein, of which 40-55 g of animal origin.
The following foods must be present in the diet of a school-age child:
- milk or fermented milk drinks
- cottage cheese
- cheese
- a fish
- meat products
- eggs
Fats… Necessary fats are found not only in our usual “fatty” foods – butter, sour cream, lard, etc. Meat, milk and fish are sources of hidden fats. Animal fats are absorbed worse than vegetable fats and do not contain essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. The rate of fat intake for schoolchildren is 80-90 g per day, 30% of the daily diet.
Every day, a school-age child should receive:
- butter
- vegetable oil
- sour cream
Carbohydrates… Carbohydrates are essential for replenishing the body’s energy reserves. The most useful are complex carbohydrates containing indigestible dietary fiber. The daily norm of carbohydrates in the schoolchild’s diet is 300-400 g, of which the share of simple ones should be no more than 100 g.
It can be:
- bread or waffle bread
- cereals
- potatoes
- honey
- dried fruits
- sugar
Vitamins and minerals. Products containing essential vitamins and minerals must be present in the diet of a student for the proper functioning and development of the child’s body.
Vitamin A-rich foods: carrots, bell peppers, green onions, sorrel, spinach, herbs, chokeberries, rose hips and sea buckthorn.
Food sources of vitamin C: parsley and dill, tomatoes, black and red currants, red bell pepper, citrus fruits, potatoes.
Vitamin E contained in the following foods: liver, eggs, wheat germ, oat and buckwheat.
Foods rich in B vitamins: coarse bread, milk, cottage cheese, liver, cheese, eggs, cabbage, apples, almonds, tomatoes, legumes.
And also in the diet of a schoolchild must necessarily contain products containing mineral salts and trace elements necessary for life: iodine, iron, fluorine, cobalt, selenium, copper and others.
Recall that earlier we told you that tasty and healthy can be put in a school lunch box, and wrote about the 12 best products for schoolchildren, which should first of all be on the table.