The back-to-school season is a time for returning to the routine of weekly activities and school-related paperwork. For many families, that paperwork includes forms for their yearly kids’ physicals.
Scheduling kids’ physicals in the late summer or fall is standard practice for many families. But, it can still feel like one more confusing, complicated thing to manage, especially as your children get older and more factors begin affecting their health.
Once you’ve got that appointment on the calendar, take a little time to prepare. This won’t just help you make the most of your time with a pediatrician. It will also establish good health habits to carry your child through the school year and beyond.
At a Glance: Childhood Checkups
- An annual physical, also called a well-child visit or checkup, is a yearly doctor’s visit to asses your child’s growth and address any health concerns.
- Back-to-school physicals are mandatory some years in Virginia schools, such as at the start of kindergarten.
- An annual kids’ physical will include taking vitals, talking with the parent about concerns, a physical exam, and time to discuss next steps and questions.
- Student athletes need physicals before each sports’ season begins.
- Annual checkups for adolescents and teens will also include discussions of mental health, stress, sleep, social media use, sexual health, and nutrition.
What Is a Childhood Physical?
These appointments, also known as an annual physical or a well-child check, are routine childhood visits to the doctor. When your child is first born, these visits happen every few months. As they grow, the visits space out until you only need to do one physical a year.
Unlike a sick visit, an annual physical doesn’t mean something is wrong. Instead, a pediatrician will check your child’s overall health, as well as their growth and development.
An annual well-child check is a kind of preventative care. And as kids get older, the concerns addressed in physicals are about more than just your child’s height and weight. The goal is to make sure your child is on track physically, socially, and emotionally, and address any concerns before they become major problems.
When You Need to Schedule a Well-Child Check
Some years, a back-to-school physical is mandatory.
If you have a young child starting daycare or preschool, you will likely need to have his pediatrician fill out a health form when he enrolls.
“The state of Virginia requires a physical exam report and proof of immunization prior to kindergarten or first-time enrollment in elementary school,” says Dr. Alaina Brown, a pediatrician at Pediatric Associates.
Virginia student also must provide proof that they have received adolescent immunizations (Tdap, meningitis and HPV) before starting sixth grade. Children and teenagers who play sports will also need to get a yearly physical.
If a physical isn’t required, you may be tempted to skip it. But well-kid visits to the pediatrician should be on your yearly to-do list. This appointment is a chance for your child’s pediatrician to watch out for health problems that may emerge over time, such as poor vision or asthma.
As children get older, these appointments also help them learn to talk with their doctor and ask their own questions. This teaches them to take responsibility for managing their own health.
When to Schedule a Child’s Physical
A school physical can happen any time in the 12 months prior to the start of school. However, most insurance policies will only cover one appointment per year.
Brown recommends scheduling appointments as close to the start of the academic year as possible. This is especially helpful if your child plays sports or has health requirements that need to be shared with their school.
Always check with the school about “expiration dates” when it comes to accepting a physical exam for an upcoming school year. These cut-offs ensure that coaches and teachers have up-to-date information about students.
Keep in mind that kids change though throughout the course of a year. If your child experiences health changes that may affect their daily safety or well being, you may need make a second visit to the doctor for a full physical exam.
What to Expect at Kids’ Physicals
A well-child check will be similar from year to year. Some elements will change as your child gets older, especially if they participate in sports or have specific health concerns. However, much of the exam is fairly routine.
Checking Vitals
Most kids’ physicals start with a nurse or physician’s assistant measuring your child’s vitals. This includes your child’s height, weight, blood pressure, and pulse. These create a general picture of your child’s health. They also allow the pediatrician to track kids’ growth over time.
Medical History & Discussion
Next comes a review of your family’s medical history, as well as your child’s personal medical history. This helps pinpoint any areas of concern that you and the pediatrician need to keep an eye on.
For example, if you have a history of depression, your child may be more at risk for developing mental health problems as well. If your child had eczema as a baby, there’s a higher risk of asthma later in childhood.
Also, the provider taking the medical history will ask if you have any concerns or questions that you want to cover during the appointment. This is the time to bring up things you want to discuss. You can bring up anything at this point, from developmental delays to picky eating to questions about vaccines.
Physical Exam
Your child’s pediatrician will also want to do a physical exam. This will include:
- Heart and lungs
- Lymph nodes
- Abdomen, including belly sounds and skin
- Ears, nose, eyes, and throat
- Joints and reflexes
- Muscles and spine
- Vision and hearing
Exams for teenagers may also include genital exams. “Adolescent males need a genital exam to assess for testicular irregularities and hernias,” says Brown. “Females may have an external genital exam but do not require an internal exam or Pap smear unless they are having problems.”
A thorough exam helps ensure that your child is growing and developing properly, along with giving the doctor a chance to catch any problems before they begin interfering with your child’s everyday life.
Wrap-Up
If the exam does uncover problems, the pediatrician will be able to talk to you about next steps. What those next steps are, says Brown, depends on what is uncovered.
Finally, even if the exam findings are completely regular, your pediatrician should give you another chance to ask questions or share concerns. This will also be when they talk with you about promoting healthy behaviors. Many pediatricians will discuss home safety, nutrition, sleep habits, and social media use.
Should You Expect Shots at Your Child’s Physical?
“Sometimes but not always,” says Brown. “There are vaccines at the… pre-sixth grade physical, including HPV, which requires a second, and sometimes third, booster. There are some vaccines that are currently recommended that weren’t when some adolescents were younger, such as Hepatitis A and a varicella booster, that they may need to receive.”
Changes to Vaccination Recommendations
In 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented major changes to the recommended schedule for childhood vaccinations. Vaccination requirements for schools are set at the state level, but they are strongly influenced by federal recommendations.
The CDC’s recommendations can also impact which vaccinations insurance companies will decide to cover. Talk to your child’s pediatrician about what vaccines are important for their health and how to pay for them if they aren’t covered by your insurance.
Most colleges and universities require a set of vaccines before students are allowed to live in dormitory housing. These are usually given sometime in eleventh or twelfth grade.
And if there has been an outbreak of a particularly dangerous disease, such as the recent outbreak of measles in Virginia, a pediatrician may recommend that your child receive a vaccine or booster.
Physicals for Student Athletes
“Athletes need to have physicals for all the same reasons as other children,” says Brown. “But also, to assess for risk of sudden cardiac death, potential overuse injuries, and to review healthy eating and hydration habits.”
School sports, no matter your child’s event of choice, are physically and mentally demanding. A yearly physical gives the coaches, teachers, and trainers who are responsible a full picture of their health.
Does your child take medications? Do they have allergies that might need an EpiPen? An annual student athlete physical makes sure all these is recorded so the adults in charge are able to keep your child safe.
Physicals can also pinpoint other chronic conditions, such as asthma or a heart murmur, that affect your child’s safety. Mark Caplinger, a physical therapist and personal trainer at ACAC Fitness and Wellness Centers, says that children can be more at risk for injuries than older athletes when they play sports. Or, they may risk aggravating injuries that aren’t fully healed.
“The trend with young athletes is specialization in one sport year-round. This can be a great thing when it comes to mastering skills. The catch is that oftentimes this will lead to break down of the body due to overuse of the same movements,” explains Caplinger. “Because kids haven’t stopped growing, specializing in one sport can lead to muscular imbalance and lack of flexibility.” It can also lead to problems like tendonitis, stress fractures, and muscular strains.
Caplinger also stresses the importance of regular physicals if a child has been injured in the past. “It’s important that a young athlete gets clearance from a doctor to return to sport. Oftentimes, there is still a lack of strength and stability,” he explains. This can be true even if the initial pain of the injury has subsided.
Kids’ Physicals During The Teen Years
As children grow into teenagers, their annual physical will change. The doctor will still asses your teen’s physical health and development. However, there will be more of a focus on behaviors and coping strategies. This includes:
- Managing stress
- Sexual health
- Sleep habits and downtime
- Eating habits and nutrition
- Schedule and extracurriculars
- Social media
- Risk-taking behaviors
Talking to your child’s doctor about these areas can help you set healthy boundaries for your teen. Many pediatricians will also set aside time to talk to teens without a parent present. This eases teens into taking responsibility for their own health. It also allows them to ask questions or share information that they might hesitate to bring up in front of their parents.
In spite of these changes, however, you should still play an active role at physicals and continue to ask your own questions. This is particularly true if your child is dealing with new challenges like social media use or a heavy course load at school.
How to Make the Most of Your Kids’ Physicals
Of course, that’s a lot to cover in a single appointment. But preparing can help you make the best use of your appointment and avoid an extra trip for school forms or medication refills.
Brown recommends planning ahead for your appointment.
Prep Your Paperwork
Check that you have all the paperwork you need a doctor to sign. This may include your child’s immunization record, sports sign-off or specific back-to-school forms.
It’s a good idea, says Brown, to fill out as much of the forms as you can in advance. This allows the pediatrician to ask for clarification on any answers that confuse or concern them or make recommendations based on your child’s medical history.
Remember Medication
Bringing a list of any medication that your child takes regularly. This includes over-the-counter medications and supplements, as well as prescriptions. Make a note to ask for refills for any prescriptions that are close to expiring.
Bring Questions
Brown also suggests coming prepared with specific questions that you want to discuss. In the weeks leading up to your appointment, pay close attention to your child’s health, behavior and habits to look for changes or points of concern.
If you have specific concerns, bring a written list with you to your appointment so you don’t forget something important. Questions to think about include:
- Are there any developmental milestones that your child hasn’t met on time?
- Has your child experienced fatigue, pain, dizziness, or had trouble breathing?
- Have you noticed any changes in appetite or weight?
- Does your child seem anxious or depressed?
- Is your child struggling at school or socially?
- Have you noticed warning signs about your child’s vision? (Holding books too close when reading, being distracted in class)
- Has your child been frequently sick or had illnesses that don’t seem to go away?
- Is your child sleeping well?
Remember, the doctor doesn’t see your child day to day, but you do. This means that the information you provide is vital to helping create a full picture of your child’s health. You are your child’s best advocate during their annual physical. And you and the pediatrician are partners in keeping them healthy, safe, and thriving every year.
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KATHARINE PALJUG is a freelance writer and novelist who lives in Charlottesville with two busy kids. She is a big fan of public libraries, homemade muffins, and inclusive spaces for queer families.