Cold and flu season is here. If you've got school-aged kids, you know that it's just a matter of time before they get sick. Once that happens, not only will they feel miserable, they'll also be forced to miss school, especially if you don't want to expose the rest of the school to your child's sickness. Unfortunately, studies show that children who miss more than 10 days of school in a single school year, are less likely to graduate from high school. They're also less likely to go to college. Those are some alarming statistics. Luckily, cold and flu season doesn't need to spell disaster for your kids. Here are four steps you can take to protect your kids from sickness this year:

Don't Skip on the Flu Shot

Now that cold and flu season is in full-swing, it's important to create that first line of defense for your kids. Be sure to visit the doctor for flu shots. Your kids may not be big fans of shots, and you might not like them either, but they're going to help keep you and your kids healthy this winter. You might think that since you and your kids had flu shots last year, you don't need them this year. That's not correct. Flu shots are geared towards the strains that are most likely to be active each year. That means you'll need a new shot every year to provide maximum protection.

Install a Humidifier in Your Home

Flu bugs thrive in dry weather, which is why they hang out in your home, and at schools, during the winter. Heaters tend to dry out the air, which allows the flu bugs to live, breed, and thrive. You can't do anything about the moisture level at school, but you can do something about it at home. To keep flu bugs away from home, be sure to install a humidifier in at least one room. The humidifier will add moisture to the air you're breathing, which will soothe your sinuses, and keep the flu bugs away.

Encourage Physical Activity

During the winter, kids tend to stay indoors more, which means they're getting less physical activity. Unfortunately, that creates the perfect opportunity for flu bugs to attack your kids. To help keep your kids healthy this winter, encourage plenty of physical activity. Enroll them in an after-school fitness class, or encourage some active movement at home. Give your kids a few minutes each day to play fitness-oriented video games. They'll get the physical activity they need while playing a video game.

Cold and flu season is no laughing matter. Use the tips provided here to keep your kids healthy, and avoid the flu. Talk to your pediatrician about other ways to make cold and flu season less miserable this year.

For more assistance on keeping your children healthy, there's more info here.