Sleep Will Matter No Matter Where Your Child is Learning This Year

Schools are in the process of starting back up. Some students will be learning in a classroom and others will be learning from home. Either way, this back to school transition definitely has the potential to be more challenging than normal.

If your child was in school last year, in-person learning came to abrupt stop in the spring. Then, the majority of families did not have a “normal” summer by any stretch of the imagination. This unprecedented spring and summer may have resulted in your child’s sleep schedule slipping.

Whether your child will be learning in the classroom or learning from home, this year will not be like a typical year and the amount and quality of the sleep they are getting may be more important than ever. Sleep impacts how our children cope with challenging situations and how they learn.

Getting the right amount of sleep will help your child show up for the school day more willing to navigate this new reality and will help them retain what they learn. Quality sleep is also a critical part of keeping a strong immune system.

What can you do to ensure your child is well-rested as you transition into this new school year?

• Prioritize a consistent bedtime. To ensure your child is getting the right amount of sleep, you might need to back into their ideal bedtime. Children between the age of 2 and 3 years old need 10.5 to 12 hours of sleep each night (closer to 12 hours if they aren’t napping). Children between the age of 3 and 6 years old need between 10 and 12 hours of sleep. And children between the age of 7 and 13 years old need 9 to 11 hours of sleep each night.
• If school doesn’t start for a couple more weeks, start to gradually shift their schedule now by moving bedtime earlier in 15-20 minute increments each day. If school has already started or is about to start, make the full shift immediately. The key to making a big shift is waking them at the time they will wake for school and then have them go to bed at the ideal bedtime that evening. 
• To help your child fall asleep quickly when they go to bed, avoid any screen time 60 minutes before it’s time to turn off the lights. The light from the screen can delay the body’s natural release of melatonin which can result in your child having a hard time falling asleep. If their bedroom windows let in a good amount of natural light, consider adding blackout shades until the days shorten.
• Establish a consistent bedtime routine for your child. Having a consistent wind-down process will let your child’s body know sleep is coming which will help them fall asleep faster. An example would be a bath or shower and then reading in a dimly lit room – either you reading to your child or your child reading to you if they are older.

Whether you’ve decided to send your child to school, you’ll be supervising virtual learning, or you’re home schooling, I hope the school year gets off to a great, well-rested start!