Establishing Healthy Sleep Patterns

Summer break gives children a chance to relax, recharge, and reflect. However, changes in routine can often lead to forgetting healthy habits. A proper sleep schedule is crucial for kids because sleep plays a vital role in their overall physical, mental, and emotional development. Academically, a well-rested child is more likely to participate in class and perform better as they can concentrate or retain information. Getting enough sleep helps students stay alert and focused during the day, enhancing their abilities inside and outside the classroom. Therefore, to finish the summer strong, parents can establish an adequate sleep schedule with their children before the school year begins. Here are some tips on how to encourage bedtimes:

1: Gradual Adjustments

A new sleep schedule may be a hard adjustment for your child. By enforcing minor adjustments over time, your child may adapt more easily to a similar schedule in the fall. Changing bedtimes and wake-up times by small increments daily is a simple way to achieve this. For older children, planning activities early in the morning gives them something to wake up for, and eating dinner earlier may give them more time to wind down and digest. 

2. Creating a Sleep-friendly environment:

Although a child’s bedroom may not have changed entirely during the summer, camp, trips, and sleepovers tend to disrupt one’s typical sleep environment. Your child’s room should be cool, dark, and comfortable during bedtime. Limiting screen time, for instance, by setting parental locks or removing technology from the room one hour before bed, may create a better setting for kids to snooze. 

3. The Utility of Establishing a Nighttime Routine that is Consistent

By setting a clear routine for your child, there will be less spontaneity from night to night.  According to the Sleep Foundation, children with a long-term established night-time routine are “more likely to go to sleep earlier, take less time falling asleep, sleep longer, and wake up less during the night.” These benefits to sleep quality are still seen years later. Overall, by establishing a night-time routine for your child now, you may be instilling healthy habits for the future.

4. Lead by example

Let's face it, being a parent is tiring. By prioritizing your sleep habits, you may have more energy to help your children establish their own. Younger children often follow their parents' behaviors, but more importantly, communication with your child about their sleep hygiene will be more genuine and personal as you adjust together. 

While summer break provides many advantages, it is essential to encourage healthy behaviors so your child feels prepared before starting a new routine. Being patient, persistent, and supportive during this transition is the most important. 

Written by: Lia Forman