Sleep Schedules and a Successful School Year

Making Routine Adjustments for the New School Year

The new school year is quickly approaching and many families are getting ready to transition from summer vacation to the academic routines of school. Making this adjustment for your child begins with adjusting a few schedules in the home. To help your child settle into the new routines more smoothly, consider adjusting their sleep schedules.

Instead of going to bed earlier in the evening, wake up earlier each day. If your child has been sleeping late each morning during the summer, to prepare for the early wake up time for school, gradually adjust wake up time by 30 minutes each day; until the desired time has been met. By getting up earlier, your child will eventually go to bed earlier without any arguments because his body will require the extra resting time.

For example: If your child needs to wake up at 7:00 AM to have time to get ready for school but he’s been sleeping until 8:30 during the summer, tomorrow wake him up at 8:00; the next day at 7:30, and the next day at 7:00. Continue the 7:00 wake-up call even on the weekends. Your child may have been staying up late during the summer, but with the early wake-up call, his body will make the adjustments to going to bed earlier.

To keep your child rested and healthy for school, plan a routine of 10 hours of sleep every night. His growing body and brain needs plenty of rest everyday to be ready to learn and perform in school.