Back-to-School: Sleep Schedule Transitions
If your summer has been anything like mine, then your kids’ sleep schedules became non-existent when the last bell rang at school! This blog has all the tips and tricks for sleep schedule transitions to get you and your kiddos back on track before the first day of school!
Summer break is something just about all school aged children look forward to: No homework, warm weather, a trip or two, endless pool days, and certainly more time for those fun way-past-your-bedtime adventures!
As parents, we try to find that healthy balance between having something to occupy our child’s idle hands and allowing for more relaxed schedules, so it is not unusual to shift bedtimes a little later over the summer.
Really the daunting task is working your way back to those normal school year sleep schedules, but there is a way to get there without major meltdowns, upheavals, and mutinies.
Make a Plan
The key to transitioning back to a school-based sleep schedule is slow, incremental changes (cold turkey is best saved for after Thanksgiving). Mark your calendar to allow yourself two to three weeks prior to the start of school to accomplish this transition as smoothly as possible.
When you hit your target start date, begin shifting the child’s summer bedtime 20-30 minutes earlier, every 2-3 days. Below is a sample sleep schedule. We consider bedtime as the time the child is in the bed without any distractions.
- Summer Bedtime: 10pm or later
- Target School Year Bedtime: 8:30-9pm
- First Few Nights: Adjust the summer bedtime back about 30 minutes
- Day 3 or 4: Adjust bedtime back another 30 minutes
- Day 5 or 6: Adjust bedtime back an additional 30 minutes
Continue these adjustments until your child’s bedtime has been adapted back to their school sleep schedule.
Need more wiggle room? You know your child and your family best, use our example as a guideline to help you make a plan that works for your household!
Say Goodbye to Distractions
It cannot be stressed enough that this process requires that expectation that your child is “in bed without distractions”. What are considered distractions?
- Toys,
- Books,
- Screens,
- Siblings, etc.
A lot of children, and even adults (including myself) have to start “going to bed” before we actually “fall asleep”. This means transitioning from high energy activities like physical play, video games, or screen time sooner in the summer, to allow the transition to more calming activities to prep for bedtime.
Even though it may not seem like it, a child “sitting on screens” for long periods of time is actually activated through their brain and sensory faculties. So While their physical body is not actively moving, they are certainly getting a stimulated workout.
Aim for calming activities that can help subdue activity like:
- Coloring,
- A puzzle,
- Reading a moderately interesting book,
- A bath, or
- A slow walk around the block taking time to notice things related to senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing.
Strategies for Success
You can do all the right things and your child may still struggle to fall asleep. This is not uncommon and happens to many children and adults. During the day we are often distracted by playing, working, calls and friends all day, which prevents us from having those intrusive thoughts that seem to creep out of nowhere at night when there is nothing else to steal our focus .
Intrusive thoughts can be anything from our to-do list the next day or lingering thoughts about what we didn’t accomplish before we went to bed(Have you ever made a 3am grocery list in your head? I have!).
For children, this often appears as fears or worries or things they did wrong earlier in the day, but there are two wonderful strategies for taking focus off these intrusive thoughts so kids can skip the sheep and drift to sleep: body scans and retention breathing.
Body Scans
This strategy brings intentional awareness to the body. It requires tuning into each part of your body, one part at a time from bottom up (from feet to head), or top down (from head to feet).
As you work your way up or down your body, stop and notice any sensation you may be having, without judgment.
If you start with your head and feel tension in your forehead, focus on that part while taking a few deep breaths and try to release the tension you feel. You may have to do this a few times before moving on.
Next, move towards your nose or the center of your face, if you feel nothing, keep moving. Down to your chin and jaw. If you feel tension, try, and release it again with deep breathing.
Continue to move into your neck, shoulders, chest, arms, hands, stomach, etc. Noticing any sensations and pairing deep breaths to help relax your body from head to toe.
Retention Breathing
The second strategy is retention breathing, which involves counted breaths that originate from your diaphragm, also known as “belly breaths”.
Diaphragm breathing helps us to get into the lower parts of our lungs where concentrated levels of oxygen-rich air is found. One of the simplest retention breathing routines is known as “square breathing”.
To initiate square breathing:
- Inhale with your diaphragm for a count of 4-5,
- Hold the air in your lungs for a count of 4-5,
- Exhale slowly to a count of 4-5 and,
- Hold empty lungs for a count of 4-5 before beginning again.
Counted breathing with our diaphragm requires a lot of focus, which can distract from the intrusive thoughts.
Getting into the habit of doing one or both strategies before bed can help set your child up for success in getting better quality sleep. Being mindful of consistent bedtimes and calming bedtime routines before bed can help prepare your child for a great (and restful) school year ahead.
Need More Strategies?
Kids that have trouble sleeping may have more underlying causes than just general distraction. There is no one-size fits all approach and sometimes it requires getting more creative in how we can meet kids where they are to help them find a restful state. Our team has many providers who work with children and their families on a variety of mental health needs. If you think you need more support, check out our provider bios and contact our office for more information. First time clients are eligible for a free 15-minute consultation. Check out our “What to Expect from a Consultation Call” blog for more information about how these are conducted and how they are beneficial in beginning the therapeutic process.
How Much Sleep Do Kids Need Anyway?!
Check out this guidance from the CDC about how much sleep is recommended for kids. You can also use this guide to help find an ideal bedtime to maximize those precious ZZZs.