Last month, Ballarat Clarendon College began a trial to ban water bottles in the classroom for students in Years 5 to 9. According to the school, “early feedback” indicated it had reduced noise and bathroom breaks during class time. Along with becoming a status symbol and fashion item , water bottles are now considered essential for school.
So how much water do children need in a day? And what impact does it have on their brains? The amount of fluid children need will depend on the weather and how much physical activity they do. But as a general guide : children aged four to eight should have about 1.2 litres per day boys nine to 13 should have 1.
6 litres girls nine to 13 should have 1.4 litres boys over 14 should have 1.9 litres girls over 14 should have 1.
6 litres. As the Australian Dietary Guidelines stress , it is preferable to meet most fluid needs by drinking plain water. If your child does not like drinking water you could consider adding a squeeze of juice.
Research suggests many school-aged children do not drink enough and arrive at school already dehydrated. A 2017 study involving 6,469 children (aged four to 17) from 13 countries (not including Australia) found 60% of children and 75% of adolescents did not consume enough water from fluids. There is no specific advice about how often children and adolescents need to drink.
But the main message from research is students need to start drinking from the time they get up. Having a drink of water first thing in the .
