Now is the time to get your child’s back to school sleep schedule ready for the new school year!
Summer vacation is full of fun and sun, but it is not always great for sleep. Summer nights often include late bedtimes. These exceptions are worth it when you consider that we only have 18 summers with our kids at home. BUT when we head back to school we want to make sure that they are well-rested.
A back to school sleep schedule is important for all of us, but for a child, it is extra important. Healthy sleep can improve their cognitive ability, their mood, their coordination and even their immune system. All of those in top notch shape are important for a great school year.
We just have a handful of days left to prepare for school and while you may be out shopping for backpacks and filling the school supply checklist you might also consider putting a bit of focus back into sleep.
Use these tips to get your child’s sleep ready for school:
Talk about sleep and expectations
Prepare ahead of school starting and start talking to your kids about sleep. While we as adults can understand that they will master new skills and learn faster if they get the rest that they need, amongst many other good reasons, our kids may not care about those particular reasons. When talking about why sleep is important, it might be a good idea to put it into words that will resonate with them. For example, “you will be able to ride your bike faster if you get the rest that you need.”
This is also a good time to set sleep boundaries and expectations. You might create a list of simple sleep rules coupled with a simple reward system for following those sleep rules. Even just a lot of praise will go a long way. Your child will want to sleep if they feel that you are proud of them for it!
Clean up your child’s bedtime routine
A bedtime routine is not just for babies. It is great communication to your child that sleep is coming. In the summer months, it’s easy to let the routine slide to get a few more minutes of sunshine. But the time to bring it back is now.
Children thrive off of predictability and having a routine that is soothing and predictable is very helpful in getting to bed peacefully and calmly. If you are struggling with your child’s bedtime routine – a visual chart will go a long way to helping with buy in and staying on track.
For an older child a simple power down hour is a great option: 20 min for getting ready for the next day, 20 minutes for hygiene and 20 minutes for a soothing activity (reading, yoga) before bed.
Ensure your child is on the right sleep schedule
To prepare your child’s sleep for school, ensure that your child is getting the right amount of sleep for their age. Sleep needs change a lot throughout the years. It’s important to stay up to date on how much sleep is needed by age. This is a major piece to the healthy sleep puzzle. Children who get the sleep that they need perform better in school.
If you have gone off schedule often in the summer, you are not alone but now is a great time to make up for that lost sleep. The best way to make up for lost sleep is with an earlier bedtime. I know, that sounds funny, but from the time you put your child to bed until midnight is the most restorative sleep they get in 24 hours. It is precious. Plus, in case you haven’t heard; more sleep = more sleep. Believe in that early bedtime!
If you have had late bedtimes most of the summer, spend this week doing early bedtimes. This will be so powerful to help them to catch up on sleep and be ready for school.
Limit screen time before sleep
Did you know that the blue light emitted from tablets, TVs and phones can prohibit sleep? In this day and age it is H-A-R-D to limit screen time, but for a restful night’s sleep it is best to limit screen time at least an hour or two before bedtime.
I get it, this can be hard. Our family avoids screen time before bed by following this simple schedule: We will have dinner and then after dinner (depending on how long it took to eat) we have about 30 minutes to play outside before heading upstairs for bedtime routine.
For other activities pre-bedtime routine try coloring. This is great for preparing your child’s body for sleep. You might just find that they fall asleep more easily when you give them a calming activity before bed.
Consider their sleep environment
We all, even adults, sleep better in cave-like conditions. What I mean by this is; dark, cool and quiet. Think about your child’s sleep environment. Does it fit that criteria? I know in the summer (and early fall, here in Florida) it is hard to keep the house cool, but it is important. I recommend a temperature of about 68-72 degrees for sleep – or as close as you can get.
Also, blackout curtains, blinds or even just anything that will darken a room (black garbage bags and tape / a cardboard box cut to the size of the window) can do wonders for your child’s sleep. Lastly, a quiet room is vital. A white noise machine that is on throughout the night will help to block the noise from the rest of the house, so that your child can focus on sleep.
Maintain healthy sleep
Once you’ve got this all in place, keep it up for the school year. Yes of course it is OK to have flexibility – just think about this 80% of time you’ll stick to the plan and 20% of the time you can vary from it.
There’s no better time than now to start implementing some or all of these tips to help your child sleep a bit better, to ensure that they are getting healthy sleep. This is one of the best ways you can prepare your child for school, and keep them prepared.
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Originally posted 2018
Updated 2024
