Boosting Your Child’s Immunity and Intelligence: 3 Golden Tips for School-Age Children

For your child’s health, immunity, and cognitive development—especially during school years—it is essential for every mother to know and follow fundamental rules. These rules help achieve these two goals and should be consistently applied. Early habits of health and wellness are easier to instill in childhood than to correct later.

With winter approaching, there are golden tips to strengthen a child’s immunity while simultaneously boosting focus and intelligence at school. “Sayidaty wa Tiflik” spoke exclusively with clinical nutritionist Dr. Layal Massoud, who highlighted three golden tips: diversifying the child’s diet, ensuring healthy sleep, and supplementing with vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.

1. Diversify Your Child’s Diet

A varied diet is crucial from the moment solid foods are introduced. Ensure your child receives foods covering all essential nutrients outlined in the food pyramid:

• Proteins of all types

• Vitamins and minerals appropriate for the child’s age

• Carbohydrates and starches in moderation

Carbohydrates are important for energy, but excess intake can lead to obesity, lethargy, and lack of focus.

Include fruits and vegetables daily. Avoid processed foods and fast food, which often contain high levels of preservatives, harmful salts, and spices. Fast food can also carry dangerous bacteria like Salmonella, especially from improperly handled raw meats.

2. Healthy, Sufficient Sleep

Sleep is crucial for health, immunity, intelligence, and concentration. Children should have a consistent sleep schedule from a young age. After age two, children generally adapt to regular sleep patterns.

• Establish a family-wide bedtime routine, as early sleep benefits growth, immunity, and energy.

• Nighttime is when the growth hormone is most active.

• Set a specific bedtime for the child, even on holidays.

• Create pre-sleep rituals, such as:

  • Evening bath

  • Warm milk

  • Calm, screen-free activities

Limited and structured leisure time can be beneficial, for example, solving puzzles before bed can stimulate the brain and enhance intelligence.

3. Provide Vitamin D and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Vitamin D (the “sun vitamin”) and omega-3 fatty acids are essential for school-age children:

• Begin vitamin D supplementation at birth, with doses adjusted according to age.

• Vitamin D should not be given right before bedtime, as it can interfere with melatonin production and disrupt sleep.

• Continue daily supplementation even if the child is ill, as vitamin D strengthens immunity and aids recovery.

Omega-3 fatty acids are equally important:

• They help the body produce key substances that regulate vital processes:

  • Blood pressure

  • Body temperature

  • Blood clotting

  • Prevention of internal bleeding

• Omega-3 helps protect against inflammation, allergies, and long-term diseases, supporting health from childhood through adulthood.

Following these three golden tips—a balanced diet, healthy sleep habits, and essential supplements—can significantly enhance your child’s immunity, intelligence, and focus, laying a strong foundation for lifelong health and success.