Bedtime for Beginning School

My 7 year old says he feels better when I can get him to bed at 8p...we strive for 8:30p. 8p is just a really hard thing for me to do, as he plays sports and such and most the time is not home until 7:30p. I also work night shift, his grandparents will try to get him to bed at 8:30p but normally hit 9p and he shows signs of being tired when he comes home that day. We've had the same time since Kindergarten. So I'd say 8-8:30p is great.

My kids have to be in their rooms by 8. If they stay up and read or listen to music, that's their choice, but they aren't allowed to come out after that. They are usually asleep by 8:30. They don't get up until 7:30 or 8.

I would say to get her to bed by 8 so that she will be asleep by 8:30. Ten hours is the average amt for that age although some will need more and some less.

How many hours a day does she sleep right now? Considering she has to be alert and in good spirits in order to actually accomplish anything at school, she is going to need the same amount of sleep as she is getting when left to wake up on her own. So if she normally sleeps for 10 hours, try to get her into bed so that she can get 10 hours of sleep before school. It isn't easy, but it is really important that kids get enough sleep so that they can really do their best and take in as much information during the school day as possible.

I think it really depends on the kid. I would start with your ideal bedtime that works for your family and then wake her up at 6:30 and see how she does. Then if its a real struggle start putting her to bed 15 min earlier until you find the time that works best for her. Then just watch her tempermant during the day and how tired she gets in the afternoon. It will probably take a couple of weeks to get all the kinks out, but I am happy that you are thinking about this now to make it eaiser for her when she starts :)

You may want to start putting her down by 8:15 and then have her in bed by 8:45. She'll get atleast 8 hrs of sleep that way, but it all depends on whether she requires more sleep at night. You may want to experiment with different times for a week at a time and see how she functions during the days.

You need to also take into consideration how your child gets ready/cooperates. Does she tend to be distracted w/ toys, etc while getting ready for something? Is she a child who has a hard time waking up? Does she need "transition time"? All of these need to be taken into consideration when determining bedtime.

Err on the side of being ready too early - then play a game, enjoy waiting outside together if the weather permits or whatever. Just make sure her first day is NOT a stressful one. You want to leave her w/ a great "first impression" of what getting ready for school is like so that she'll LOOK FORWARD to going and getting ready, rather than it being a battle and/or a chore.

Adjust YOUR schedule to meet her needs, not the other way around. THIS IS IMPORTANT! This is her first school experience. Make SURE it's a GREAT ONE! Glad to know you're preparing in advance for the new school experience. It needs to be a pleasant one for EVERYONE!!

For Kindergarten, I believe we actually had 7:00 be the "get ready for bed" time, with our twin daughters in bed by 7:30 - this included, then, reading a chapter or story together before bed. But they were in bed with eyes closed before 8:00.

Well... you know your child best -- how much sleep does she need? Just do the math and count backwards and you'll get your bedtime. Since it's all-day K, count on an extra hour of sleep at least for the first few weeks/months.

My oldest had his lights out at 8pm in kindergarten (he woke up at 7am and walked out the door to the bus stop at 7:45am). This past year we moved it to 8:15pm (2nd grade) and will probably keep it there for awhile. He needs at least 10-11 hours of sleep a night or his ADHD symptoms go through the roof and he's out of control the next day.

The next oldest starts all day kindergarten this fall. She is currently in bed, lights out, between 7:45pm and 8pm. We won't change it but will probably work toward the 7:45pm time more. Right now, it's 7:45am, she fell asleep at 8:05 last night and she's still sleeping. She needs a good 11-12 hours of sleep at night, especially when she's had a busy day.

I know from my son that full day K wears kids out... he was often in bed by 7pm the first few weeks of school until he got more used to it.

When you adjust it, do it in small increments like 10-15 minutes -- both for bedtime and for waking up.

At that age, I would say 8 at the absolute latest. Step back the current sleep time 15 minutes a week. And, do the same with the wake-up schedule. It'll become second nature and a good night's sleep is essential.

Check out "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" ---- I can't recommend this book enough.

Good luck!

It really depends on how much she sleeps. What ever time she goes to bed now and gets up now just needs to be shifted. If she wakes at 7:30 now and needs to get up at 6:30 get her to bed an hour earlier.

My son just finished Kindergarten and he has been going to bed by 8:30 and needs to be up by 7:15.

I think I would plan for an earlier bedtime for when K starts. It is not that the days is physically taxing but it can be emotionally tough for the first couple months. Not to mention the daylight savings change that comes in the fall -- Less daylight makes us naturally sleepier.

Our oldest was sleeping 10-11 hours AND still taking a nap when he entered K (that boy was born a good sleeper) and we were anxious about how he'd handle the change. Worked fine. We stuck to his normal 8:00 bedtime and got him up at 7:00am. But we have our almost 4 yr old is less awesome at sleeping. We are gonna start backing into a very ritualized bedtime routine come August..Meaning, we are gonna start books, water, tucking in, etc. at 7:30 in the hopes that he is asleep by 9:00. He needs less sleep than big brother but we want him to at least start K with as much sleep as he can get. We'll change the bedtime if it looks like he's handling K well.

Yes, sounds like a good plan. we tried to begin bedtime at 8:00pm so that 9:00 was the very latest..It worked fine for her. Some of the neighbor hood children needed to start at 7:00 each nit and 8:00 was late for them..

I covered the windows with quilts, because it is still light at 9:00pm down here.

In the mornings I woke her up 15 min earlier than she needed every morning and would ask her, "do you need a few more minutes?" Sometimes (most times) she said yes and other times, she would get right up. She is not a morning person so we made an agreement, no one would ask her questions until she spoke first.. I am the same way.. My husband is a chatter box in the morning, he is lucky to still be alive after almost 30 years.of marriage and thinks its funny to ask a million questions in the mornings. .

My little one will be headed into first grade this fall. I will not let her stay up later than 8pm. Last year the bus picked her up a little before 8am so she had to be up by 7am. All day kindergarten takes A LOT out of these little ones. (My children also nap until they are 5 and my daughter turned 5 only two weeks before school began). I also work within the schools and 9pm is too late for any "young elementary child" to be staying awake!

Also, be prepared the first few weeks of school. She may be so exhausted that she fights you to go asleep at night. It also does not help when it is still light outside so make sure your daughter has some shades on her window that you can pull down at night.

I would make sure she is in bed and ready to sleep at 8:30
At the beginning I think she will be exhausted at the end of the day.
Try to make sure she gets ten hours of sleep a night.
Will they have a rest period at school?
It is essential that children get enough rest for school.
I hope she enjoys Kg.

All children are different. But most children at that age need more sleep. I remember my daughter needed 12 hours of sleep when she started school she went to bed at 7pm and my son 20 mo. older that her went to bed at 7:30 and my other son 25 month older that him went to bed at 8pm. then as they got older They were able to stay up later after they were use to a routine.