After having four children myself, I remember, as the summer holidays came to an end, rushing around preparing for a new school year — buying uniforms, stationery, and attempting to get back into routines! And as a Systematic Kinesiologist, I was also mindful that the high days and holidays were over, and it was now time to start building up their immune systems.
Going back to school brings increased exposure to coughs, colds and other viruses as children begin to spend more time indoors with classmates and friends. While it’s impossible to avoid every illness, it’s much more about supporting our children’s immune systems, nourishing and naturally strengthening their internal environment. This is key as prevention, to help them stay healthy throughout autumn and winter.
Why Do Children Seem to Catch So Many Coughs and Colds?
Young children’s immune systems are still developing. Every exposure to a new virus or other pathogen helps build their immune memory — although, contrary to popular belief, children don’t need to become unwell at all for their immune systems to build. However, if they are dehydrated, regularly eat processed foods and sugar, drink milk, and eat hybridised wheat, they are more likely to be unwell regularly and less able to shake it off.
By supporting their internal environment with plenty of filtered water, fresh whole foods, natural sugars from fruit and dried fruit, and better grains such as spelt or sourdough, even if they do experience a cough or cold, it’s usually milder and passes quickly. Supplementation of probiotics and antioxidants is also hugely beneficial.
However, even incorporating the above and doing the best we can, we can’t always prevent every illness. If illness does come, it’s also about responding quickly and effectively to support the natural healing process.
Five Natural Ways to Support Our Child’s Immune System
1. Nourish with a Colourful, Fresh Diet
Good food provides the building blocks for a healthy immune system.
Suggestions:
- A rainbow of Vitamin C-rich fruits
- Vegetables (Vitamin A from orange vegetables)
- Whole grains
- Lean protein
- Healthy fats such as oily fish, nuts and seeds (where age and allergy appropriate)
- Fermented foods like natural yoghurt, if tolerated
- Zinc-containing foods (beef, lamb, pumpkin seeds and chickpeas)
Plus, high-quality protein all contributes to good immune function.
2. Prioritise Sleep
I am surprised to hear how late some parents allow their children to stay up on school nights, and that some don’t even have a bedtime at all at weekends! Sleep is when the body repairs, restores and strengthens its immune defences — particularly the early evening sleep and all the hours before midnight, which are incredibly important for our children.
Children up to the age of 11 need 10–12 hours of sleep each night; bedtime therefore needs to be 12 hours before they need to get up, to ensure they get at least 10 hours asleep. Teenagers need 8–10 hours; however, the hours before midnight remain the most beneficial.
A consistent bedtime, limiting screens before bed, no phones or devices in the bedroom, and keeping the room cool and dark all improve sleep quality.
3. Support Gut Health
Did you know that much of the immune system is closely linked to the gut?
A varied diet rich in fibre helps nourish beneficial gut bacteria, which plays an important role in supporting immune function.
Include foods such as:
- Oats
- Beans
- Brown rice
- Rye bread
- Lentils
- Apples
- Berries
- Vegetables
- Live natural yoghurt (where appropriate)
A tested probiotic can also help make sure your child is taking the particular strain that’s key for their health.
4. Get Them Off Their Devices and Encourage Daily Outdoor Activity
As we know, plenty of fresh air and regular physical activity support overall health and, therefore, immune function.
We can help younger children in particular by finding the outdoor activities they genuinely love (which is very important) — for example, cross-crawl exercises on a trampoline, hula hooping, flying kites, bat and ball games, skipping, or swimming. Doing an outdoor activity they really love helps to regulate sleep patterns, reduce stress, and boost their Vitamin D levels too.
5. Manage Stress and Routine Changes
Starting a new school year can be exciting but also stressful. Anxiety and poor routines may affect sleep, appetite and overall wellbeing.
Help children adjust by:
- Encouraging them to talk through any worries they may have while you hold your hand over their forehead (for Emotional Stress Release)
- Having regular family meals
- Allowing time for relaxation and family connection
- Taking the time to listen and helping them feel understood
Supplements
In 2026, it is challenging for children to get all the nutrients they need through a “balanced diet.” Therefore, there can be huge benefits from supplementation that has been tested with Systematic Kinesiology to target their health needs. For children, we particularly look at probiotics and antioxidants to boost their digestion and immune systems.
Vitamin D is also recommended during autumn and winter, particularly for children with limited sunlight exposure.
I’ve seen the huge difference with my own children, and now with my granddaughter. She has very little illness and has rarely needed to take time off from nursery — she just doesn’t get everything that’s “going around.” A good diet, together with tested supplements and remedies, can absolutely enhance our children’s health, activity, sleep and emotional wellbeing.
However, if you are unable to get your child tested, Zambroza is a great all-rounder — a healthy, tasty fruit drink packed with antioxidants that can help support immunity.
Preparing for a Healthy School Year
Regular daily habits make the biggest difference. Nutritious meals, good sleep, regular exercise, and being emotionally available for our children all work together to support their resilience.
As our children head back to school this autumn, we can focus more on health at home to help them thrive inside and outside the classroom.
If you would like to take your child to see a Systematic Kinesiologist for an immune boost and to be tested for supportive key nutrition tailored to their needs, please visit taskuknetwork.org/find-a-kinesiologist to find your nearest practitioner.
Related blog: Parenting–Need help? Turn to Systematic Kinesiology
Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes and should not replace personalised medical advice where needed.