Water improves children's cognitive capacity  

Water is not only the best drink for our physical health, but it is essential also for our brains. Even mild dehydration can cause cognitive impairment, tiredness, and headaches; all of which impact negatively upon academic attainment.

How a lack of water affects our mood, you can see in this very good video: Can Dehydration Affect Our Mood?

Now, that you know, take a look at this video: 10 signs your body is begging for water; Signs and signals of dehydration:

The quantity of water that children must drink is shown in Unit 1, Chapter1. But we have to know that before, during and after any physical activity, kids need to drink more water, especially in hot weather. The goal is to drink a half cup to two cups of water every 15 to 20 minutes while exercising (2).

Water and school performance

It is estimated, that nearly half of schoolchildren do not meet their minimum hydration requirements. Proper hydration is an important prerequisite for concentration and performance in school.

An interesting finding is that tasks that require attention, immediate memory, and psychomotor skills, as well as the assessment of the subjective state, are the most negatively affected by dehydration.  In contrast, working memory, long-term memory, and executive-function skills seem to be more preserved, especially if the method used to induce dehydration is moderate physical exercise.

Most vulnerable groups are children and the elderly, but also healthy young adults are at risk of a reduction in their cognitive performance. (13) You can read more in this article: Cognitive Performance and Dehydration.

Water is not the only element that affects children's brainpower. Important are also: right food, right motivation, teaching style, too many distractions ...Take a look at this web page and discover how can you improve the concentration, focus, and brainpower of school children.