What is an easy way to encourage students to stay hydrated at school?

Drinking enough water is crucial for maintaining good health and well-being. For students, proper hydration is critical. For example, it significantly impacts their cognitive function, concentration, and academic performance.  However, getting students to drink enough water throughout the day can be challenging.

This article explores easy and effective ways to encourage students to stay hydrated.

Ensure Easy Access to Water

This is really a no-brainer, yet so very often overlooked. One of the simplest ways to encourage students to stay hydrated is to ensure easy access. Ensure the school fountain is in good working condition.  Check you have plenty located throughout the school. Upgrade your fountains with modern solutions incorporating water bottle refill options. To sum it up, students drink more water when they can refill a bottle.

Make sure water is easy to find and offer water bottle refill options.

Make Water Fun with Colour and Graphics

Take note of the marketing strategies employed by sugary beverage manufacturers. Specifically, they use colourful packaging to appeal to the younger demographic in particular. Modern Fountains have the option to add coloured panels that can feature your school logo, values or messages of sustainability. Even Aboriginal artwork!

Make water look exciting, like colourful sugary drinks.

Promote Reusable Water Bottles

Encourage the use of refillable water bottles in school. It is a simple yet effective way to motivate students to drink more water. You create a hydration-friendly environment by providing convenient water bottle refilling stations and allowing students to bring their bottles into class. And that fosters healthy habits. Refillable water bottles are eco-friendly and a practical choice. It ensures students have easy access to clean drinking water throughout the day.  This helps students stay focused, and energised. Above all, it supports their overall well-being.

Promoting reusable bottles is a small change that will have a big impact.

Educate Students About the Benefits of Drinking Water

Sometimes, students are not fully aware of the importance of staying hydrated. Organise educational sessions or include hydration awareness programs. Above all, teach students about the many benefits of drinking water, such as improved focus, concentration, overall health, and even how staying hydrated promotes better skin! It helps motivate them to focus on hydration.

Knowing the benefits of hydration helps them want to stay hydrated.

Be a Good Hydration Role Model

You can’t be what you can’t see. Kids need to see the desired behaviour modelled by adults to follow. Teachers, staff, and parents must lead by example. Make sure you and others drink water in front of them.  Regularly and visibly.  In fact, studies show that students whose teachers drank water in front of their classes drink more water during the school day. 

Conclusion

Making sure your students drink enough water is not always easy. However, with a few changes, you can make significant headway in setting students up for students up with healthy habits that could last a lifetime. In summary: Make water easy to find, encourage reusable bottles, teach them why drinking water is so good, model the desired behaviour and have some fun along the way.

Are you ready to take the steps that will keep your students happy, healthy, and ready to do their best in school?