Time to Get Ready

It feels like summer started and ended at the same time. The weather warmed up just in time for the Back to School season! But, as cheated as we might feel, we need to drum up some enthusiasm for the new school year if we hope to help our kids to have a successful learning experience.

We need to get ready, and though your mind might immediately go to shopping for school supplies, for our kids, being ready means being rested!

Start moving bedtime back! According to WebMD, children 7-12 years old need 10-12 hours of sleep. Move bedtime back in small increments (10-15 minutes) for several days until you get to the target bedtime. Choose the target bedtime by counting back 10-12 hours from the time you wake your child for school. Start your bedtime routine there.

7:30 pm – bath/shower, pajamas, brush teeth, do chores, layout clothes/books for AM, make lunch.

8:00 pm – Read to your child. What a wonderful lifelong habit to encourage. This is a great time to talk. Some of the most important conversations I’ve had with my children have occurred at bedtime. If you have 2 or more kids, this is a great time to spend 5 or 10 minutes of 1:1 time with each one.

8:30 pm – Lights out! This is the hard part. The absolute limit because, let’s face it, most kids don’t immediately fall asleep when you want them to. This is when they’ll bargain (just one more book!), need something (I’m thirsty!), or find any number of ways to continue to engage. Be firm, consistent and COMMITTED to the schedule. Just continue to repeat the message: “It’s time to go to sleep! WE ALL need sleep to be healthy!” It could take a week or more before your kids stop fighting the schedule but it will be worth it!

9:00 pm – With any luck, your kids are sleeping and you can enjoy some quiet time for yourself!

7:00 am – Wake up! Time for a GREAT school day for your happy, healthy child.

In his book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Marc Weissbluth, MD, sums up what you may find in children who routinely do not get the sleep they need:

"School achievement difficulties were found more often among poor sleepers compared to good sleepers.... Young children who have difficulty sleeping become older children with more academic problems.”

YIKES! This really is important. Even if you follow the above schedule, your child will likely only get 10 hours…the lower end of the range that is considered healthy! Only one week left to get your child on a healthier sleep schedule and off to a good start for the school year in Berwyn! Good luck!