Kids need sleep – clear rules help
Many parents are familiar with the problem: Primary school children in particular often don’t want to sleep at night. This can lead to a lack of sleep, which can have a direct impact on the child’s school performance and development. The saying ‘Sleep makes you smart!’ is basically true for children. During sleep, the brains of 6 to 10-year-olds unconsciously convert what they have learnt during the day into knowledge – more effectively than adults. Even though children’s need for sleep is individual, children of primary school age should be allowed around 9 to 10 hours of sleep. But how can you make your children understand their sleep needs? What rules and rituals help to ensure that going to bed does not become a daily ordeal? Is it really possible for children to learn to sleep and determine their own rhythm? Sleep research says yes and gives advice and tips.
1. Sleep tip for kids:
Define clear rules and times for going to bed
Fixed times should be agreed with the child when they go to bed. This avoids daily discussions. However, children should also be allowed to act independently and have a little freedom after bedtime. Reading a book or listening to a suitable CD in their own bedroom without disturbing others makes perfect sense. A cuddly toy as a daily bedtime companion is also a good idea. This means that the evening sleep ritual is no longer a constraint and the child learns to determine their own sleep rhythm more and more independently. Of course, the classic ritual of a bedtime story can also be interspersed with younger children. The sleep routine can be softened at the weekend and the child can be given more freedom. Very important: bedtime should never be used as a punishment. Children should see sleep in a positive light and associate it with something nice and calming.
2. Sleep tip for kids:
Analyse the child’s daily routine, pay attention to the child’s worries and respond to them
If a child has a lack of sleep or poor sleep behaviour, it is advisable to take a closer look at their daily routine. One reason is often a lack of exercise, which means that children are not physically stressed enough and therefore do not feel tired in the evening. Everyday problems and worries also prevent children from sleeping naturally. These include stress at school, problems with homework and exam nerves as well as worries about sports and leisure activities or arguments with friends or classmates. Eating behaviour should also be questioned. A diet that is too unbalanced also has a negative impact on sleep behaviour in the long term. It is therefore very important for parents to review the day with their children and listen carefully. However, the conversation should not be held immediately before bedtime, but rather one or two hours before. Then a child has enough time to calm down even after emotional conversations.
3. Sleep tip for kids:
Switch off electronic screen media
Children of primary school age are often not only used to watching television every day. PCs, tablets and mobile phones are also part of young children’s daily media consumption. However, children should not be allowed or expected to use any of these wakeful and often disturbing electronic media at bedtime. And before going to bed, it is advisable to avoid programmes or games that are emotionally stressful for the child. These can massively delay sleep, and not just for emotional children. In general, a break of around one to two hours should be planned between switching off the TV and PC and going to sleep.
