In India, a school kid carrying a heavy backpack is a common sight. In most cases, any complaints of shoulder or back pain by the kids are dismissed by the parents. However, the repercussions of these pains usually last a lifetime. Apart from shoulder, neck and back pain, this can also result in lack of attentiveness and fatigue affecting their ability to learn during their formative years. The long-term effects of carrying a heavy shoulder bag include:
As a standard recommendation, it is advised that a child’s backpack should weigh only 10% of his/her body weight. This includes their water bottle, lunch and any extra item being carried with the books.
However, eliminating the age-old tradition of carrying heavy backpacks requires efforts from the side of the parents as well as the school. From the parent’s side, here are a few steps that can be taken to ensure lighter bags for a healthier child.
From the school’s side, a few steps that can be taken to reduce the load are:
While these steps could ideally help reduce the weight of the bag, any miscommunication from the kid’s part could leave the parents confused and restart the cycle of carrying a heavy backpack. To avoid such situations, SchoolSkies’ innovative school management solutions could bridge the gap between the teachers and parents and keep the parents up-to-date about the day to day necessities. To know more about how SchoolSkies’ can help your school management efforts, mail us at schoolsupport@schoolskies.com or call us at 044 69000014.