Sleep is very important but apparently our kids, most of them, just love to go to bed later than they ought to be. That’s why they love sleepovers, late night movie watching and overnight trips. I notice all these with my kids. But though getting into bed late can be permitted once in a while, it’s not healthy for growing up kids to have insufficient sleep.

How many hours should our kids sleep?

Toddlers (1 to 3 years)	​10 to 13 hours
Pre-schoolers (3 to 5 years)	​10 to 12 hours
School-aged children (5 to 10 years)	10 to 12 hours

6 to 13 years​	9 to 11 hours
14 to 18 years​	8 to 10 hours

Bad effects / Symptoms of Lack of Sleep

• Having bad temper
• Not able to focus on studies
• Depression
• Weight gain
• Feeling tired most of the time
• Vulnerability to illness

Online Schooling and Sleeping Late

Online schooling kids like mine have the tendency to sleep late when they aren’t being checked because they think that they still have enough time to take a nap whenever they want to during the day. We know that doesn’t happen at all. Usually they are loaded with school activities and projects that even if they want to sleep for an hour or two, they couldn’t. If they are not busy with their home works, they get busy with their hobbies or they are into their gadgets or chatting with their friends. And the pattern of not getting enough sleep continue in cycles.

Even toddlers who are already schooling find it difficult to go to bed these days. Not being able to interact with friends outside, younger kids find video games their coping mechanism. Some kids also find it more difficult to sleep because of issues on their school such as boredom, anxiety from their homeworks or teachers or similar issues.

Tips for Parents

We can help our kids avoid going to bed later than they should and here are some good tips I recommend:

1. Set a routine and have the kids go to bed at around the same time at night. Once their body clocks are set, chances are they get sleepy already in the right hours of the night.
2. Avoid giving them anything with caffeine such as chocolates or soda after 2PM.
3. Try doing exercises with them for at least 30 minutes a day.
4. Keep the room dark and under 17C before the kids go to bed. It also helps to prepare the bed, make sure that the bed sheets are smoothed out and the pillows are clean and fluffy. These invite the kids to sleep earlier as they see how comfy their beds are.
5. Stop any screen time at least an hour before their bed time. That includes watching TV or using their cellphones. This one can be difficult even for me since I love to watch series during the night. But what I do is whenever the kids like to watch with me, I avoid picking movies or shows that are exciting or have loud noise, or very vibrant movie scenes.
6. Give your kids warm, milky drink to help them get sleepy. A couple of cookies or some nuts can be also healthy to eat before bedtime.

We all know that getting enough rest is very important for having a healthy body. Our growing up kids need rest for their growth to be complete. Even if our times have changed because of the pandemic and that our working patterns have adjusted, the amount of sleep we need stays the same.

How about you? Which good sleep habits do you already follow? Let me know in the comments if you have more tips for parents like me.

This article was selected for inclusion in the Balik Eskwela campaign of the Educational resource publisher Twinkl

Sources:
Getting a good night sleep guide
Sleep: a Vital Part of A Healthy Lifestyle