What is that noise? It’s terrible, and so loud, “MOM, MAKE IT STOP!” “It’s 7am and its summer break, why would my alarm be going off?” Said your child after you decided to wake them up early the week before school to get them back on a Back to school time schedule.
We often turn our children’s alarm clocks off for the summer months to give them a break. Most kids enjoy “sleeping in” during summer break and dread that alarm clock the first day of school.
Adults are more likely to wake at the same time each morning due to the bodies’ natural sense of awakening when the sun rises. Also when our bodies age, we do not require as much sleep so it is easier to wake up. Adults seem to have learned to not vary their sleep schedule as drastically.
What If our children woke up naturally at the same time each morning? We would never need to throw pillows at their heads and yell in their faces to wake them up. Anyone try to spray a watter bottle in your child’s face? Kids need their alarm clocks or to be woken because they alter their sleep patterns so much that their body doesn’t naturally wake.
Children struggle when it comes to changing routines and making the transition to school time. Going to bed earlier is never fun for kids. Children are convinced that the best part of the day is at 8 pm and more fun is to come while they are in bed missing it. Therefore, they would prefer to stay awake all night long and play!
Going to bed earlier is never easy for kids or parents but necessary for getting enough sleep and therefore being successful in school.
This article gives tips on how to transition from summer bedtime “lack of schedules” to “Back to school” routines.
Good luck parents!
