A sleep expert has revealed the exact day this month that parents should start getting their child into a regular back-to-school sleep routine ahead of the new term. 

This follows research showing primary school-aged children miss out on two full days of sleep over the summer holidays due to the fun and festivities of the holiday season resulting in later bedtimes.

The study from Silentnight found youngsters aged between four and eleven years old get an average of just six and a half hours of sleep per night during the holidays, compared to an average of seven and a half hours in term time, way below the recommended ten hours. 

The nationwide survey further revealed when children return to school, it takes parents an average of nine days to get them back into their regular term-time bedtime routine. 

With most kids starting school on September 4 this year, that means parents need to start easing their little one back into a regular night-time routine on Saturday, August 26.

According to Silentnight Sleep Expert Hannah Shore, slowly implementing a term time routine will ensure that it’s less of a shock for your child when they go back to full days of learning. 

Four back-to-school sleep tips

  • Sleep is a superpower

Let your child know that sleep is their hidden superpower and that their brain loves sleep, even when they don’t feel like sleeping. Much like an iPad, if the battery is running low, you need to recharge the device.

  • Create a cosy sleep environment

Try to create a calm and relaxing space to help your child settle more easily at night. A tidy bedroom, a special pillow, blanket or a lamp with a soft glow can encourage your child to feel cosier and more settled at nighttime. 

  • Calm the worries

Bedtime can often be a time when children share their worries of the day. Help your child work through these worries by getting them to journal or draw out what’s on their mind. Try and supplement this with conversations about your child’s emotions throughout the day.

  • Focus on breathing

Soothe any negative feelings by focusing on breathing to help calm any nervousness or anxiety. Teach your child to breathe into their belly by taking slow, deep breaths, in through their nose and slowly exhaling through their mouth.

Make sure to gently guide them through the process to help them understand the technique and its purpose.

Hannah said: “Going back to school can be disruptive for children and parents, especially when adapting from a school holiday routine to a structured school time routine.

“Primary school-aged children, depending on their age, need on average around 10 hours sleep per night, so it’s important they develop a strong sleep routine consisting of good quality, undisturbed sleep.

“Rapid eye movement (REM) is light sleep that links with memory consolidation, emotional processing and learning, whilst non-rapid eye moment (NREM) sleep is deeper and restorative, meaning toxins are washed from our brains and growth hormones are released. We need a good mixture of the different types of sleep for our bodies to work optimally.

“In the run up to starting school again, there are lots of things that can be done to make bedtime less stressful, and help children feel more settled, whilst adapting to their new routines.”