How to prepare your child for a healthy sleep routine before the start of the school year

The new school year is getting closer and closer, but school supplies are not the only thing parents should keep in mind before it starts. During the summer vacation, a child's healthy sleep patterns are usually disrupted, and you should think about how to establish a new optimal rest schedule without traumatizing your child's psyche.

The online edition of CTV News reports that, according to recent studies, improper sleep patterns seriously affect a child's academic performance and overall well-being. At the same time, experts note that it can be difficult to establish a new routine for children who have become accustomed to freedom over the summer.

For example, psychologist and founder of ROO Family, Caron Irwin, believes that the formation of an optimal sleep schedule will not only "set" the child up for success during the school year but also develop sustainable healthy habits that will be useful in the future.

"In summer, children's sleeping time often falls by the wayside as every evening is filled with different events. And you'll need a well-thought-out strategy to change this habit at the start of the school year," Irwin said.

Here are some tips from the expert on how to do it right.

• Involve your child in creating a new routine by explaining the importance of sleep. This will smooth out conflict and contradictions.

• Allow your child to express his or her own opinions about it. This will also help them to feel involved in what is happening.
• Come up with calming activities before bedtime. These include reading together, meditation, turning off phones and other gadgets with screens, and playing light music.
• Make the transition to the new regimen smooth and conduct a "rehearsal."

By the way, the best way to accustom children to a new sleep schedule, according to the psychologist, is to gradually change the bedtime to an early one. And it is better to do this a few weeks before school starts.