Wake Up! It’s time for school!
For many families, Back to School time means a change in schedules. But getting everyone up and ready in the morning doesn’t have to be stressful. Here are a few tips from http://family.go.com/
Cut out caffeine during the day.
Too much caffeine can wire kids up and make it difficult for them to drift off to sleep at night. As a result, they are tired and cranky when the alarm goes off in the morning.
Keep your routine as consistent as possible — even on the weekends.
While it’s fine to let them catch up on a little sleep, it’s not smart to let them sleep their Saturdays and Sundays away. If you do, they’re going to have a hard time adjusting back on Monday morning.
If your child normally gets up at 7 a.m. on a weekday, don’t let her sleep any later than 8 or 8:30 on the weekend.
Don’t expect a young child to be able to use an alarm clock.
Most experts say that alarm clocks aren’t really useful until a child is around 12 years old or in the sixth grade. Before that, you’ll need to go in and get them up. (And, unfortunately, even after age 12 you still may need to go in and make sure they get up after their alarm clock rings.)
Use the night before to get organized.
Pack the backpack, set out the bowls and spoons for breakfast, and pick out the clothes your child will wear. Remember, the less surprises you have to deal with in the morning, the less hectic it’ll be for everyone.
What tips do you have?
Susan Simpson, Education Writer
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Comments
K.L. you are such a great parent! Wish I would have had that growing up…even now would be nice to be loved and treated so special! That takes a lot of time and effort for you to prepare those CDs!
Post writing is also a excitement, if you know then you can write otherwise it is difficult to write.
Wha….? Alarm clocks “aren’t really useful” until they’re 12….? Baloney!
I use Itunes to make wake-up CDs for the alarm clock. “What a Wonderful World” (by different artists) means ‘wake up’. “My Father’s House” means ‘get out of bed’. And other specific songs mean ‘make your breakfast’, ‘brush your teeth’ (a 2 min song), ‘get clothes on’, ‘get in the car’…..
In between these cue songs, I put in humor songs, Bible verse songs, educational songs (mulitiplication tables, “The Sun is a mass of incandescant gas”, etc.), one-minute science podcasts/Spanish lessons, sounds clips from fav movies, recorded personal messages, and most-excellent music from the past (The Archies, Jackson 5, Paul Simon, Supremes, R&H musicals) and the present (Hanson, U2, TheyMightBeGiants, BNL-their bluegrass songs-and Disney musicals).
They don’t know when a new CD will come out, so they snap awake to hear if it is a new one. Also….the CDs are usually 60 minutes but I keep some 45 minutes ones (even a 30 minute one) in reserve, in case I am running late. The kids don’t even know its less time!
Same principle at night. Thirty minutes of sound clips and fun music with cues to brush teeth, wash face, get clothes out, backpack by kitchen chair. Found an old song “Every monkey should go to school”….its a riot. Then someone’s version of “Over the Rainbow”, followed by 30 minutes of instrumentals (found bluegrass versions of Van Halen, Green Day, Metallica—awesome–and Lullabye versions of the Beatles), meaning time to be in bed “settling down”, talking with parents, or reading.
The kids even make their own “Saturday morning get ready for Soccer” and “Sunday morning get ready for Church” CDs. It works great for us. We do not have to go in and get them up!
“Experts”….? Hmph.