Back to School: 5 Ways Make Sure Your Child is Up on Time

After suffering through weeks of hot humid weather, it’s hard to believe that school is right around the corner. Many Milwaukee area schools will be starting back up on September 1st. Following these tips will help your child prepare so that they can get up with ease that first morning back.

1) Calculate what time your child will need to wake up to be ready in plenty of time. Once you know what time the bus will arrive or the carpool will come, work backwards including every step. Make sure you leave time for eating a healthy breakfast, getting dressed, and brushing teeth in your schedule. Do a run-through a few times to get an idea of how long your child will need.

2) Begin moving your child’s bedtime up a few minutes each night until it reaches the time you would like them to go to bed on a school night. Summer is time of relaxation and many of us allow our children to stay up later than during the school year. If you child’s bedtime needs to be adjusted, start planning for the transition well before the first week of school. Most experts recommend moving the bedtime no more than 15 minutes per night.

3) Once your child is up, move them into natural light quickly. If you are trying to reset your child’s internal clock to adjust to getting up a little earlier, natural light will help speed the process along. Allowing you child to stumble down to the basement and sit in front of the TV will not help in allowing her body to adjust.

4) Let your child do something fun in the morning. At least for the first few mornings when you are practicing getting up earlier, you may need to provide some incentives. Maybe some extra TV time or a special breakfast will inspire your child to grumble a little less. Once the new wake-up time is established, you shouldn’t need to provide quite as much motivation.

5) Talk to your child about the benefits of a good night’s sleep. Sometimes we forget that our kids don’t always know why we insist that they do certain things. Explain to your child that sleep will help them to feel better, grow stronger, and think more clearly.

The average elementary school student needs about 9 to 11 hours of sleep a night. If you notice that your child is chronically tired, they may not be getting enough. If you add more hours and the problem does not improve, have your child see their doctor for an evaluation