January is a reset with fresh starts, new goals and unfortunately, peak cold and flu season. With Flu A making its rounds through schools nationwide, many classrooms are running through supplies faster than expected. Here’s how families can work together to keep everyone healthy and learning.
Check In With Your Child’s Teacher
By January, essential items like tissues, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes are often running dangerously low—right when they’re needed most. Send a quick email or text to your child’s teacher asking what the classroom needs. You might be surprised to learn they’ve been buying supplies out of pocket for months.
Consider organizing a “January Restock” with other families. Split a shopping list, buy in bulk or assign each family one item to contribute. This helps keep the classroom ready for any germs that come its way—which all teachers will appreciate!
Make Germ-Fighting Part of Your Family’s Daily Routine
The morning rush is real, but adding 30 seconds for hand sanitizer before walking out the door can make a difference. Same goes for when kids return home—make it automatic: backpack down, hands cleaned, then snack time. These small habits help prevent your family from becoming a domino effect of illness.
Keep travel-size hand sanitizers in backpacks, lunch boxes and your car’s cup holders. When your third-grader remembers to use it before eating lunch, that’s a win for your whole household.
Focus on the Forgotten Zones
We all know to clean bathrooms and kitchens, but germs love to hide in the spots we touch constantly but clean rarely. Think about your family’s daily patterns and target these high-traffic areas:
- Car door handles and seat belt buckles (especially after school pickup)
- Backpack zippers and lunch box handles
- Gaming controllers and tablets
A quick wipe-down of these spots with Lysol Disinfecting Wipes takes less than two minutes but eliminates 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, including those cold and flu viruses that can survive up to 48 hours on hard surfaces. Keep wipes in strategic spots—your car, by the front door, in the kitchen—so they’re handy when you need them.
Create a “Sick Day” Station Before You Need It
Nothing’s worse than having a sick kid and realizing you’re out of everything. Stock a basket now with:
- Tissues (lots of them)
- Disinfectant spray and wipes
- Thermometer with fresh batteries
- Children’s fever reducer
- Electrolyte drinks
- Easy comfort foods
When illness strikes, you’ll be ready to focus on care instead of making late night grocery runs. Use Lysol Disinfectant Spray on doorknobs, light switches and bathroom fixtures to help prevent the illness from spreading to siblings or parents—because we all know when one family member gets sick, it often becomes a game of tag and nobody wants to be IT!
Start Smart Post-Gathering Habits
The winter season means indoor birthday parties, team celebrations and study groups. After hosting or attending gatherings, make it routine to do a quick disinfecting sweep of shared spaces. Hit the obvious spots like tables and chairs, but don’t forget remote controls, game pieces and anything else multiple hands touched.
Partner With Your PTA
Your PTA can help coordinate classroom supply drives, bulk purchasing for families, or even “wellness grants” for teachers to stock their rooms. Reach out to see what programs already exist or suggest starting one. Many PTAs have funds specifically for supporting classroom needs.
The Bottom Line
Keeping kids healthy during flu season isn’t just one family’s job—it’s a community effort. When we all pitch in with supplies, maintain simple prevention habits and look out for each other, we create healthier learning environments for everyone.
Check in with your child’s teacher this week about restocking supplies. Add a pack of disinfecting wipes to your next grocery run. Set up that sick day station. These small actions add up to bigger impacts: fewer missed school days, less stress on teachers and healthier families throughout your school community.
