Chappy's Chat
Bed Time Routines
“Without enough sleep, we all become tall two two-year olds” – JoJo Jensen
I know that I can function okay with limited sleep but my family don’t quite have the same ability, and when they are tired, the whole house knows about it! Imagine then having multiple children in a classroom that are tired, grumpy, and the impact that would have on their learning and interactions with the rest of the class and their teacher. Having enough sleep is an important part of helping our children to function well each day, to be ready to learn, concentrate and focus. It will help them to feel happier, and to join the fun with their friends, instead of being tired and lethargic.
www.healthdirect.gov.au recommend that children aged between 6 and 13 years of age need between 9 and 11 hours of sleep each night. That is a significant amount of time! So after all the afternoon activities are done, then dinner, homework, reading routines, there isn’t much time left before it is bedtime. So how can you help your family to get to enough sleep? Amongst other things, here’s some important things to consider…
. As a parent or guardian, take responsibility to help your children set themselves up for good patterns and behaviour around sleep
. Establish a bedtime routine that works well for your family e.g. bath, teeth, story, prayer, kisses, lights out
. Remove technology from the bedroom, and limit its use in the lead up to bed time because of how it stimulates brain activity
. Initially to break bad habits, you might need to start a sticker chart or other reward system to encourage change and new behaviours
. Download and use the free sleep clock from the Sleep Help Foundation to work out a good bedtime based on wake up time:
http://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/files/SleepClock-0913.pdf
Happy sleeping
Sub and Drink Deal
Please note that the next date for this lunch time treat is on Tuesday 1 September. It had previously been earmarked for 25 August, but needed to change because of clashes with other events. Thank you for supporting the ongoing fundraising needs for the Chaplaincy program.
Blessings,
Chappy Jenny
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