Back to School Hydration Tips

The school year is back in session and (whether you love it or hate it) back-to-school shopping is in full swing. To prepare your student for the big year, supplying them with the best tools and supplies for academic success is at the top of the list. Today, we’ll explore why making sure your kids drink enough water is crucial for helping them achieve peak academic performance. Here are some useful tips to keep your kids hydrated this school year.

Why Is It Important to Stay Hydrated in School?

Water is an energizing no-calorie, zero-sugar beverage that can help your child focus in school and improve their overall health. Water is good for healthy joints, teeth, and circulation. But it’s also great for their mood, memory, and attention—all essential for academic success. If you’re unsure whether your child is drinking enough water, here are some signs they may be dehydrated:

• Dry lips
• A lack of focus
• Low energy
• Irritability

In order for children to play, learn, and do their best in school, proper hydration is a must.

So, how much water should your child drink per day? Doctors estimate that children between ages 1-3 years may need up to 4 cups of water or milk per day, children 4-8 years old may need 5 cups, and children ages 8 and over may need 7-8 cups. Water needs may vary depending on your child’s activity level, where they live, and climate conditions like heat or humidity. 

6 Tips for Getting Kids to Drink More Water

If getting your child to drink water is like pulling teeth, we have 6 kid-friendly hydration tips for you.

Get a fun, reusable water bottle

Water can seem boring when the bottle looks bland and ordinary. Switch things up by giving them a fun, reusable water bottle! Each time they drink from it (hopefully they’re drinking filtered water from ZeroWater), the taste and experience will be way more enjoyable. Pro tip: invite your kid to decorate their bottle with their all-time favorite stickers. 

Offer better-tasting filtered water

If your child complains about the taste of tap water, one way to get them to drink more is by giving them a better-tasting alternative. Fortunately, ZeroWater’s 5-stage filters remove 99.6% of contaminants that may be affecting the taste of your local tap water and can instead deliver a purer-tasting experience that every child can enjoy.

Dilute their favorite juice with water

If your child drinks orange, apple, or grape juice like it’s the last beverage on earth, they can enjoy their favorite fruit juice, with less sugar and more water. Simply dilute their fruit juice with pure, filtered water. They’ll still enjoy their favorite juice while you get the parent-of-the-year award for upping their water intake. Win, win!

Pack their lunch box with water-rich foods

If your child isn’t a big fan of drinking water in general, you can add water-rich foods to their lunch box instead. There are tons of kid-approved fruits and vegetables that are 90% or more in water content and can serve as a tasty, hydrating snack, like:

• Watermelon
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Oranges
• Apples
• Peaches
• Grapes

Start a water drinking competition

There’s nothing like a challenge to inspire kids to start healthier habits. Host a water drinking competition in your family to see who can drink the most water by a certain time of day. For example, whoever drinks one liter of water by noon will win a special surprise. Keeping the reward a secret can motivate your child that much more to race to the hydration finish line with flying colors.

Explain why drinking water matters

You can also explain to your child the benefits of drinking water. Share a fun fact like 70% of our bodies are made of water. Or share how water will keep them feeling their best, running faster in their favorite sport, or helping them stay focused in school. Whatever hobbies or interests your child may have, help them understand staying hydrated is the key to continue enjoying them.

Staying hydrated in college

For those who are parents of college-aged kids, keep in mind that staying hydrated can be even more of a challenge for them. College life can be stressful. Your child is away from home for the first time and may have trouble balancing a heavy school workload, an irregular eating schedule, and a new social life. When no one is around (i.e., you!) to remind them to stay hydrated, this healthy habit can fall to the wayside.

Set them up for success with ZeroWater's 5-stage filtration system. It provides easy access to better-tasting water that’s virtually free of all total dissolved solids (TDS). It’s also the only pour-through filter that’s NSF certified to reduce lead, chromium, and PFOA/PFOS, so you can have peace of mind that your student is getting the best wherever they’re studying.

We recommend the 7-cup pitcher for college students. Its compact space-saving design is great for small spaces like dorm rooms or compact kitchens in off-campus apartments. 

Keep Your Kids Hydrated This School Year

For many kids, water is the last thing they want to drink. But, offering your kids delicious-tasting filtered water may inspire them to drink more. Now that the school year has arrived, start off on the right foot and help your kids stay focused, hydrated, and healthy all year long.