No one likes being the new kid. But this school year, there are bound to be some in every school. It’s understandably nerve-wracking to go to a new school – whether you’re the only new kid, or if you are simply joining your classmates in moving to a new building. As adults, we can help ease that anxiety. Here are some tips:

Don’t let your kids start the day on an empty brain! Help them kick their smarts into high gear with a brain-fueling breakfast. Believe it or not, the foods they eat can actually help them perform better in school.

Try some of these tasty ways to start the day:

Get a better after-school dialogue going with your kids! If the only answer you get is “fine” when you ask about their day, you’re not alone. But it also means you aren’t asking the right questions. Here are five questions that are sure to draw more details:

Eating less meat can have a positive impact on health, but registered dietitian Molly Sleger is not quite convinced that plant-based mock meat can transform cardiovascular disease in our country. New companies are promoting their plant-based meats. Fast food restaurants are adding plant burgers to their menus. These plant-based meat companies are suggesting that even meat eaters will want to eat this new menu item. 

Between piano lessons, after-school clubs and football practice, it’s amazing moms manage to serve dinner at all! We understand that back-to-school and fall activities schedules can hit families hard, so we’re hooking you up with a week’s worth of easy, kid-friendly dinner ideas to keep your busy kids fueled.

Back to school also means back to sleep! The school bus is mercilessly on time come the first day of school, and a drowsy brain isn’t the way your kid wants to start a new grade. Even as little as 25 minutes less of sleep each night can lead to lower grades! So bedtimes need to start reeling in well before the year starts.

And if you think we’re only talking about the kids here, think again. Those Netflix binges will also come back to haunt parents who have become used to sleeping until mid-morning during the summer.