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Boost Back-To-School Brain Power: Tips for Parents

Whether your child is just starting kindergarten or has headed off to college, setting kids up for a successful academic year starts with supporting their ability to learn.

It’s no secret that nurturing a love of learning and providing a supportive environment from an early age are two of the primary keys to helping kids succeed academically.1 But the real foundation for a successful school year starts with the basics like healthy eating habits and routinely getting a good night’s sleep. These habits can help boost brain power and set kids up for success at every age.

Level Up With These Lifestyle Tips

Creating healthy habits is the first step toward helping your student thrive. Here are five smart strategies that can foster academic success.

Ensure sufficient sleep. Sleep is one of the most crucial factors in maintaining optimal brain function. Lack of sleep can impair cognitive abilities, memory, and concentration.2 Although adults typically need seven to nine hours of quality sleep each night, children and teens need even more to ensure their brains are well-rested and ready to tackle the school day ahead. According to the Sleep Foundation, school-age children need 9 to 12 hours nightly, while teenagers need 8-10 hours.3

Load up on brain-boosting foods. Nutrition plays a significant role in brain health. Create family meals and snacks that include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals to support cognitive function.4 Some examples of brain-boosting foods include fatty fish like salmon, nuts and seeds, berries, avocado, leafy greens, and whole grains.

Help kids stay hydrated. Dehydration can negatively impact short-term memory, attention, and reaction speed, so it’s essential for students to stay hydrated.5,6 Yet most children and teens don’t drink enough water throughout the day. How much H2O does your child need? According to the folks at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, that depends on their age:

  • 4-8 years: About 5 cups (40 ounces) per day
  • 9-13 years: About 7-8 cups (56-64 ounces) per day
  • 14-18 years: About 8-11 cups (64-88 ounces) per day 7

To increase your child’s water intake, make it fun! Boost everyday hydration with colorful bottles, fun straws, and fruit-infused water. You can also increase fluid intake with water-rich foods like watermelon and cucumber.

Encourage regular exercise. Physical activity isn’t just beneficial for your child’s body but also for their brain. Regular exercise improves oxygen-rich blood flow to the brain, helping to enhance memory, focus, and overall cognitive function. One study involving 261 college students that appeared in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that those with a higher VO2 max (which refers to the maximum amount of oxygen the body can utilize during intense exercise) had better academic performance.8  But research suggests that exercise provides brain benefits to younger kids, too.9 Whether it’s an organized sport or simply playing outdoors, it’s important to encourage your child to aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week to reap these brain-boosting benefits.

Helping kids stay organized. A cluttered environment can lead to a cluttered mind. Foster organization by teaching kids to use planners, calendars, and to-do lists to keep track of assignments, deadlines, and commitments. A well-organized space can reduce stress and improve productivity.

Supplements for College-Aged Students

While the above strategies can help set kids of all ages attain success, students over the age of 18 can also benefit from supplements boasting the following herbs and nutrients that have been shown to improve cognition, focus, and memory.

Gingko biloba contains compounds that may offer brain-boosting antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective benefits.10 Studies suggest that ginkgo boosts blood flow in the brain and improves mental focus.11 One review of 29 double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials found that the long-term use of ginkgo biloba improves selective attention, some executive processes, and verbal and non-verbal memory.12 Another study that appeared in the journal Psychopharmacology reported that a single dose of ginkgo biloba temporarily improved sustained attention and certain aspects of memory like pattern recognition in healthy young adults.13

Phosphatidylserine is a type of fat that’s abundantly found in the brain’s myelin sheath—the protective layer of insulation that coats nerve fibers and enables the rapid and efficient transmission of electrical signals in the brain.14 Supplementing with PS has been shown to improve cognitive function, memory, learning, stress, and concentration by ensuring the proper functioning and health of brain cells and their surrounding sheaths.15

Siberian Ginseng, which is also known as eleuthero, has been found in preliminary studies to improve learning and memory.16 With antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, one review of 29 placebo-controlled studies found that this Asian herb improved cognitive function and mental endurance.17  Siberian ginseng is also considered to be an adaptogen—a type of botanical that helps the mind and body cope with the effects of stress. This makes it ideal for helping students deal with the pressures of campus life.18

How to Help Kids Form Healthy Habits:• Lead by example. Show your children the importance of healthy habits by practicing them yourself. • Create a daily routine that includes regular meal times, physical activity, and sufficient sleep. Consistency can help children develop healthy habits. • Acknowledge and praise your children when they make healthy choices. • Teach your children about the benefits of healthy habits and involve them in decision-making processes. • Be patient and supportive. Studies show that creating a healthy habit can take up to two months.19 Offer support, guidance, and encouragement along the way.
Helping your children form healthy habits is important for their overall well-being and good academic performance. Here are some tips to help you guide them in developing healthy habits.

Incorporating these natural strategies into your child’s back-to-school routine can support their cognitive capabilities and set them up for their best school year yet. Just remember that consistency is key, so make these practices a part of your student’s daily habits to help them reap the long-term benefits for both overall health and academic success.

References

  1. Reducing youth health disparities requires supportive, nurturing, ,& healthy learning environment. Society for Public Health Education. 2017. Available at: https://www.sophe.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/LearningEnvironmentYHD_1nov2013_final.pdf
  2. Armand MA, Biassoni F, Corrias A. Sleep, well-being and academic performance: A study in a Singapore residential college. Frontiers in Psychology. 2021;12:672238.
  3. How much sleep do you need? The Sleep Foundation. 2025. Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need
  4. Gómez-Pinilla F. Brain foods: the effects of nutrients on brain function. Nature Reviews 2008;9(7):568-78.
  5. Zhang N, Du SM, Zhang JF, et al. Effects of dehydration and rehydration on cognitive performance and mood among male college students in Cangzhou, China: A self-controlled trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019;16(11):1891.
  6. Drozdowska A, Falkenstein M, Jendrusch G, et al. Water consumption during a school day and children’s short-term cognitive performance: The CogniDROP Randomized Intervention Trial. 2020;12(5):1297.
  7. The Nutrition Source. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 2025. Available at https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/water/
  8. Redondo-Flórez L, Ramos-Campo DJ, Clemente-Suárez VJ. Relationship between physical fitness and academic performance in university students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(22):14750.
  9. Anzeneder S, Zehnder C, Martin-Niedecken AL, et al. Acute exercise and children’s cognitive functioning: What is the optimal dose of cognitive challenge? Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 2023;66:102404.
  10. Singh SK, Srivastav S, Castellani RJ, et al. Neuroprotective and antioxidant effect of ginkgo biloba extract against AD and other neurological disorders. 2019;16(3):666-74.
  11. Salehi B, Imani R, Mohammadi MR, et al. Ginkgo biloba for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: a double blind, randomized controlled trial. Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry. 2010;34(1):76-80.
  12. Kaschel R. Ginkgo biloba: specificity of neuropsychological improvement; a selective review in search of differential effects. 2009. In: Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE): Quality-assessed Reviews [Internet]. York (UK): Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (UK); 1995-.
  13. Elsabagh S, Hartley DE, Ali O, et al. Differential cognitive effects of Ginkgo biloba after acute and chronic treatment in healthy young volunteers. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2005;179(2):437-46.
  14. Glade MJ, Smith K. Phosphatidylserine and the human brain. 2015;31(6):781-6.
  15. Chen J, Li J, Xu H, et al. Phosphatidylserine: An overview on functionality, processing techniques, patents, and prospects. Grain & Oil Science and Technology. 2023;6(4):206-18.
  16. Huang D, Hu Z, Yu Z. Eleutheroside B or E enhances learning and memory in experimentally aged rats. Neural Regeneration Research. 2013;8(12):1103-12.
  17. Gerontakos S, Taylor A, Avdeeva AY, et al. Findings of Russian literature on the clinical application of Eleutherococcus senticosus (Rupr. & Maxim.): A narrative review. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2021;278:114274.
  18. Kos G, Czarnek K, Sadok I, et al.Eleutherococcus senticosus (Acanthopanax senticosus): An important adaptogenic plant. Molecules. 2025; 30(12):2512.
  19. Singh B, Murphy A, Maher C, et al. Time to form a habit: A systematic review and meta-analysis of health behaviour habit formation and its determinants. Healthcare (Basel). 2024;12(23):2488.

This article is for informational purposes only. This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice.