How to Prepare Your Active Kids to Win This Back-to-School Season

With the try-out season for school sports starting soon, it might be time to tap in with your kids about what teams they may be interested in joining and what may need to be added to your back-to-school shopping checklists. Like with all extracurricular activities, there's a lot to consider and remember to do when preparing your child for an action-packed school year. To give you and your future MVP the best head start on a winning school year and sports season, we have a few helpful ideas to get the ball rolling.

Before school starts, know how your child feels about the coming school year. From new teachers and making friends with other students, to choosing clubs and extracurricular activities, getting a read on what your child is feeling will help you decide if adding a sport is beneficial. Overworking your child could stress them out, especially is they're starting a new school or have any challenging classes this year. What are they expecting from the going into a new grade? Having an honest conversation will allow them space to talk and openly share and for you to move according to their emotions, which will also give you a boost of trust with your kid.

Even if your child knows what sport they want to play, it might be a good idea to get a pulse check. Kids change their minds all the time, so double checking that they're still interested will put you both on the same page. However, if the choice is still up in the air, it might be helpful to float a few options in their direction and see what sticks. Consider what they already enjoy doing and if any of their school (or local) teams incorporate those same skills. For instance, if your child is a fast runner, maybe they'll enjoy track and field, football, or baseball. Playing to your kid's natural talents will make the choice that much easier.

Any parent with an active kid will tell you that having a schedule will be your best friend during the school year. On top of school and homework, children on sports teams will need to attend practices, games, meetings, and team activities. To keep everyone's head from spinning, you'll want to have the weekly or monthly schedule on display. Whether that's a physical calendar in your home or a digital schedule that everyone has in their cellphone's calendar, making sure every family member has access to it when needed will save a lot of time and energy.

Whatever sport your child decides to play, they'll need to stay hydrated before and during all gameplay. Of course, hydration is a must at all times, but it could be extremely uncomfortable to be dehydrated while playing in the hot sun. To keep your kid from running out of steam, a hydrating sports drink will keep them going full speed. Liquid I.V.'s new Hydration Multiplier For Kids is a great option, with three times the electrolytes and 50 percent less sugar of the leading sports drink*. Adding one serving to a water bottle will provide five essential vitamins and hydrate faster than water alone.** Choose between four flavors — Crisp Apple, Concord Grape, Cotton Candy, and Tropical Punch — that your kid will love in between running up and down the court or field.

Having an idea of what goals you're aiming for within the school year will help you and your child see the finish line of the athletic season. Children (and adults for that matter) love knowing when they're doing well and having milestones to check off. Putting such a system in place for your child will keep them on track and help you pinpoint where things may have fallen off if goals aren't being met. On the flip side, you can also reward your children for achieving milestones – think a movie night with flicks of their choosing or a toy they've been pining for. This gives them a sense of accomplishment which is also a great character builder for developing minds.

There are very few things more grueling than trying to get tasks done when you are sleep deprived. Having a steady sleep schedule will help your kid avoid sleeping through homeroom. It's suggested that most kids should get between eight and 12 hours of sleep to perform at their highest level. To make sure this happens, it might be best to limit screen time (especially right before bedtime to get the brain relaxing) and set a bedtime schedule for consistency.

Let's be honest: kids are riddled with germs, especially during the back-to-school season. With the weather changing, there are bound to be a few sniffles and coughs approaching. To give your family the best chance of keeping the colds at bay, make sure you have enough disinfectant to get you through the cold and flu season. It might also be wise to remind your kids to wash their hands before they touch anything in the house and to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze. You can even prepare a mini wellness kit for your children to take to school with them. This may include hand sanitizer, a mini pack of disinfectant wipes, tissues, and a few packets of Liquid I.V. — because staying hydrated is also a major part of everyday wellness.

*Per 8 fl oz, Hydration Multiplier for Kids has 6g of sugar; the leading sports drink has 14g of sugar. **Hydration Multiplier for Kids is an excellent source of Vitamin B3, B5, B6, B12, and Vitamin C.