Drink Water: Drinking water and staying hydrated is an important part of keeping your family healthy.
Hydration is important to keep the body functioning properly. The amount of water needed by each person in your family varies considerably. In general, the amount of water to drink every day can be calculated based on weight. When calculating how much water to drink, divide
your weight in pounds in half. This number represents how many ounces of water you should drink in that day. For example, if your child weighs 40 pounds, he or she should drink 20 ounces of water per day.
Depending on the weather and levels of exercise, you may need to adjust the number of ounces of water. Some water can also be taken into the body through foods you eat. With a healthy and well-balanced diet, about 20% of water consumption is from food.
When to drink water:
- With every snack or meal.
- When your child comes home from school.
- After your child comes in from playing outside.
- Throughout the day -- keep a bottle of water in the car, at your desk, and in your child's backpack.
*Mayo Clinic. (2012). Water. Retrieved from www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283
Family Fun Activity: Color Cubes
Use this easy activity to help your child learn.
What You Need:
- Ice tray
- Water
- Fruits (Grapes, Berries, Cherries)
- Freezer
What To Do:
- Encourage your child to help you place a piece of fresh fruit in each square of an ice tray.
- Pour water over the squares.
- Place the ice tray in the freezer until the water is frozen.
- Invite your child to help remove squares of ice from the ice tray.
- Place colored fruit ice cubes into a cup of water for yourself and your child.
- Enjoy drinking your water with multicolored fruit ice cubes!
This is publication 2 out of 24 in the Eat Healthy, Be Active: Keeping Children Healthy at Home and School series. For more information visit www.eathealthybeactive.net
Status and Revision History
Published on May 13, 2014
Published with Full Review on Mar 28, 2017
Published with Full Review on Dec 06, 2022