It’s baa-aack! The new school year has crept up on us again! Some parents have already sent their little ones back to school, but for many of you, the 2012-2013 school year is fast approaching. So as the lazy days of summertime fade, now is the perfect time to re-introduce your child to their school time routine.
The more consistent you and your child are with a routine, the better and more prepared your child will be with going back to school.
One of the most important routines to re-instate for a successful school year is a consistent bedtime. If you are one of the parents whose child has not gone back to school yet, now is the perfect time to help your child transition back into going to school by having them go to bed early.
The Mayo Clinic suggests that school-age children get 10-11 hours of sleep each night. If you are able to get your child into bed by 7:40 and read with them for 20 minutes, then bedtime at 8pm is perfect. First and second graders should be in bed, with lights out, by 8pm on school nights.
Another routine that will help make transitioning back to school a breeze is a consistent dinnertime. By scheduling a specific dinnertime each school night, you will help make sure that your child has enough time to read with you and be in bed on time.
Keeping routines like these will also be beneficial to you too because by having your child in bed by 8pm every school night will give you plenty of time to do the things that you need or want to get done. With your child in bed by 8, you will have plenty of time to do the wash, pay bills, or have “you” time and unwind from a busy, stressful day.
Managing routines and being consistent with them is not easy and it does take a lot of planning from you to get them up and running. Once you and your child settle into the routine, school life, and life in general, will become that much easier for the both of you.
The Article is written by www.supereaders.org providing English Reading and Reading Comprehension. Visit for more information http://www.supereaders.org
