Five Ways to Help Your Child Get Enough Sleep

Five Ways to Help Your Child

Get Enough Sleep

Every evening, a similar routine plays out in many households: Parents try to get their children off to bed, and this starts a complex back and forth of demands, pleading, extra snacks, trips to the bathroom, and a stressful end to the day. You may occasionally give in and let your child stream another video or stay up late reading, but ensuring your child consistently gets enough sleep is crucial to their mental and physical health.

Children who are chronically sleep-deprived are more likely to suffer problems such as obesity or frequent illness, and they may be at increased risk of type 2 diabetes. They’re also more likely to experience behavioral health problems, such as:

· Feeling stressed, anxious or in a rotten mood, which may lead to depression.

· Becoming argumentative with friends or family members.

· Having trouble concentrating, which may negatively affect schoolwork.

Kids get better-quality sleep when their parents help them consistently practice good sleep hygiene. This means a child’s bedtime routine could involve taking a warm bath or shower, unwinding with a book instead of a screen, keeping the bedroom cool and dark, and always honoring a similar bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends.

To encourage a smooth transition to bedtime every night, combine typical sleep hygiene strategies with additional techniques. Here are five ways to help your child to get a good night’s sleep and reduce those stressful bedtimes.

1. Follow sleep-friendly

daytime guidelines. Get your

child to spend time outside during the morning, because early exposure to daylight helps set their internal clock, so they’re tired at bedtime. Be sure that your child gets plenty of daily exercise so that they’re physically tired in the evening. Limit their intake of caffeine and sugar, especially later in the day. And once your child outgrows naps, discourage sleeping in the middle of the day, which may prevent them from being tired at bedtime.

2. Keep pre-bedtime activities

calm. The hour before bed, choose soothing activities to help your child unwind. Read, listen to music or have quality family time. Don’t have arguments, tell scary stories or do stimulating activities that will energize your child when they should start to feel sleepy.

3. Designate their bed for

sleep. Some children study, watch TV or play games in their beds. During the pandemic, some even attended virtual school there. But using a bed as an activity space confuses the brain and can make it harder for children to fall asleep. They may be tempted by toys, televisions or other distractions. Encourage your child to play and study in other parts of your home and definitely not in their bed. Keep screens out of the bedroom if at all possible. That may mean charging a cell phone downstairs overnight.

4. Try soothing sounds.

Some research suggests listening to music at bedtime may help improve sleep quality in children. Consider playing calming songs as quiet background noise while your child rests.

5. Calculate bedtime by

counting backward. Figure out

what time to put your child to bed by counting backwards from the time they wake up for school to ensure they get enough rest. Children need a certain amount of sleep to function at their best:

o 3 to 5 year olds should get 10 to 13 hours.

o 6 to 12 year olds should get 9 to 12 hours.

o Teenagers should get 8 to 10 hours.

The mission of On Our Sleeves is to provide every community in America access to free, evidence-informed educational resources necessary for breaking stigmas about child mental health, and educating families and advocates. Join On Our Sleeves to get more tips and resources like this by visiting childrensdayton.org/ onoursleeves.

Cool Afterschool Enrichment Ideas

Spark your child’s love of learning with an afterschool enrichment class.

WORDS BY STEFFY MCCOURT

the benefits of afterschool enrichment are many. According to youth.gov, afterschool enrichment activities can provide safety and support for working families, social and emotional learning for children, and oftentimes academic support or enrichment.

Not all enrichment activities are created equally though, and finding good and affordable programs can prove to be a challenge. Here are five different enrichment options to consider for parents looking for activities for their children.

For the Outdoor Enthusiast

Does your child bring home a collection of artifacts (or even living organisms) after playing outside? Is she up a tree before you know it? If so, you probably have an outdoor enthusiast. Here are a few places to consider exploring for afterschool enrichment:

Scouts: The Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of America have lots of activities for kids who love to explore the outdoors.

Park Programs:

Oftentimes, park programs for youth are very affordable and sometimes even free. Check out the website for Ohio State Parks (ohiodnr.gov) or your nearest park system to see what activities are available.

For the Artist

Does your child love to get messy? Are they constantly using their hands to create things? Is their schoolwork full of doodles? You might just have an artist! Here are a few places to consider for afterschool enrichment:

An art museum, gallery or art center:

Southwest Ohio is home to many art museums that offer classes for all ages, including the Dayton Art Institute, Cincinnati Art Museum and many more. A membership makes frequent trips affordable, and members often receive discounts on classes.

An art studio: Many local art studios offer classes for kids. For a creative child, it is important to make sure that they will have both guidance and freedom. Be sure to ask how the studio nurture’s a child’s creative spirit.

A community center

or library: These places usually offer affordable and unique arts and crafts classes for the community. Check your favorite library’s website for their offerings, as well as places like the YMCA, Sharonville Community Center, and others. These are just some of the places you’ll find for quality art instruction.

Does your child hum or sing along to every song in the car? Does he constantly find a beat with his hands or his feet? Is he able to pick up a tune without a lot of instruction? Well then, you might be raising a musician.

Music classes at a music studio or with a

music teacher: There are hundreds of music teachers and studios available. The best and most common way to find an instructor for a school-aged child is by reaching out to your child’s school music teacher. When a child gets to middle or high school, the music teacher will even come to the school during their elective period for private lessons. In addition, there are larger studios in the community that will accommodate a trial lesson, to be certain that the studio and the student fit well together.

For the Techie

Can’t keep your kid off of their device? Are they pulled to the gaming station as if by an invisible force? Have they taken apart old phones or computers to figure out how they were put together? If so, you might just be parenting a techie. Here are some great places to provide enrichment:

STEM enrichment

programs: Places like Snapology or Bricks 4 Kidz for kids who like LEGO, Code Ninjas for kids who like computers and coding, and more await your little techie!

Library or school

programs: There are so many different STEM labs open and running in libraries and community centers. Each one is unique, but they all give kids the opportunity to learn about science and technology with an expert.

For the Actor

Does your child love the spotlight? Do they seem to shine when they are the center of attention? Can they tell a joke that actually makes you laugh? You might just have an actor on your hands. Be certain to following this lead:

Community or school theatre classes:

Reach out to the head of the performing arts department at your local high school. Ask them what community or school theatre auditions might be coming up. Sometimes a high school or college show will need young children in their performances. This is a great opportunity to meet awesome mentors.

After a long, hard day at school, it is most important to make these afterschool enrichment opportunities full of fun. Let your child take the lead. These are personality-building opportunities for your child to grow in a safe space.