Adequate nutrition fuels a child's brain and keeps their energy level high during the day. Summertime habits of skipping breakfast, snacking on junk all day and eating dinner in front of the TV just won't cut it during a busy school year. Make sure your child sits down at the table to eat a healthy breakfast, packs a nutritious lunch or has enough money to purchase lunch at school and start sitting down together for dinner, if you don't already. Family dinners are an important time to connect, to hear about your child's day, to share their triumphs and help them work out their problems. It's also an opportunity to be sure they are getting a healthy meal.

Don't forget about proper hydration. Energy levels and brain activity are severely diminished if a body is dehydrated. Make sure you and your child are getting enough water every day, serve it with dinner, pack it with their lunch. Sodas and even fruit juice are full of sugar and empty calories. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, just one soda per day can increase a child's risk of obesity by 60%. Get them in the water habit now, and they'll thank you later.

Morning Routines

Mornings go more smoothly when you don't have to think too much. If your routine is set, your body will go through the motions even if you're still half asleep. Get your child into a routine by preparing the night before. Pack up her backpack so it's all ready to go. Lunches can be packed ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. Have her choose and set out the clothes she will wear the next day. Keep hair brushes, deodorant, makeup and other necessities on an uncluttered surface. Give your child a mirror in her room to save fights over bathroom time.

Young children should be spared the stress of an alarm clock, but your teen will appreciate being able to wake up by themselves, especially if they can wake slowly to their favorite cd or radio station. Light is the best way to wake up. Your body naturally responds to a gradually lightening room. If you live where you must rise in the dark parts of the year, consider buying a sunrise simulating alarm clock.