You need your kids to have a quality sleep before their school classes resume. Here are some tips that can help you with that.
Kids are quite dreaded by the idea of going back to school, especially after an enjoyable and relaxing vacation. Sometimes, the thought of stepping back to the four corners of the classrooms can paint dread and laziness to them.
Once again, they have to deal with various aspects of their academic responsibilities. Homework, projects, and other requirements would soon storm them. If their bodies can’t keep up with these errands, they will end up weak and susceptible to illnesses.
There’s always a benefit of starting right. If you can make your kids on their top shape before the school bell comes, you are a good parent.
Here are five tips for better back-to-school sleep that you and your children should know!
Start early
You don’t make any adjustments in the sleeping time of your kids the night before their first trip to school. That won’t do anything except putting pressure and stress to them.
Three to four weeks before the beginning of the school year, you need your kids to sleep at an adjusted sleeping schedule. Of course, the earlier you make them sleep, the better. Specifically, you should make them rest 15 minutes to 30 minutes earlier than their vacation sleeping time.
Once they have adjusted to this, you can already shift the bedtime schedule again. You can make it earlier so that they can catch up more rest.
Make the sleep schedule regular
The night before the first day of school should be the gauge of what time your kids should sleep. You cannot make them sleep from different schedules because that is quite stressful. Even adults like us will never like to have a constant shift.
You don’t want to break the circadian rhythm of your kid. That’s the very reason why you need to perfect the first tip that I have given here. Right from the start, you already need to determine the appropriate bedtime for your children.
A regular sleep schedule is a lot easier to maintain for the reason that it is “regular.” Once your kids are used to it, their biological time clock will never veer away.
If they have a hard time to sleep, make sure that you provide appropriate interventions. Use firm pillows if your child wants extra support on their head, neck, or knee. Daytime physical activities can also help their bodies get relaxed during the night.
Make their bedtime relaxing
We have different takes when it comes to different sleeping schedule. For instance, I let my kid stay around 8:30 PM before telling her that she has to go to bed.
Meanwhile, my sister told me that her little boy is allowed to stay as late as 9:00 PM. She said that her child is energetic; thus, requiring a bit more time for him to wind down.
The best thing that we can do here is to ensure that when it is their sleeping time, they should be able to sleep immediately. Making their bedtime comfortable, relaxed, and relaxing is one of the solutions for this.
One of the steps that you can do is to let them have a bath after they have eaten their dinner. Just like what I have stated, physically wearing them out can help them sleep faster, too.
No gadgets
You have to enforce this rule no matter what. There is much evidence that suggests that using cell phones and computers during bedtime can prevent the sleepiness of children and teenagers to sink in.
As much as possible, you have to prohibit your kids from using these devices during the school days. However, because of some specific reasons, we were given no choice but to let their hands have these items.
We have to adjust a little and tell them that once the school starts, the amount of time they can use their smartphones and laptops will be limited. Doing this will help them sleep better, not only before the big day but throughout the entire school calendar.
Talk to them
All of these tips that I have mentioned here sound easy, right? In reality, things are entirely different.
Kids nowadays–and even before–are too stubborn when it comes to sleeping early. You cannot just tell them that they have to sleep soon and expect that they will follow it immediately. There’s a need for you to reinforce your rule and explain to them why it has to be done.
Communication is still one of the best sleeping aids that you can give to your children. Once they understand the entire scenario, they will do their best to stick to your prescribed sleeping schedule.
Wrapping it up
Preparing your school kids for the back-to-school routine is indeed challenging. There are many things that you need to fix and settle. However, that’s completely normal since you are a parent.
Among many other things, what you need to secure is the health and readiness of your child. Of course, having a peaceful and relaxing sleep before the resumption of school classes will always be the best approach for this.
That’s it for now. If you have questions or suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comment section.
Sources:
https://sleepbetter.org/10-tips-better-back-to-school-sleep/
https://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/back-to-school-sleep-tips-parents-teens-children
Author BIO
Layla Parker is the founder and chief editor of ASleepyWolf.com. She decided to start taking her blog about sleep seriously to help people find what they need to experience better sleep and maintain their health.