Department of Health and Human Services indicates that just over 2 of 3 children, ages 4 months to 14 years, get enough sleep. Pediatrician Whitney Casares, MD, MPH, FAAP, the founder and CEO of the Modern Mamas Club, calls kindergartener (and other young children’s) lack of sleep a “huge, widespread problem,” and connects it to screen use inching further and further past bedtime. She doesn’t blame parents, who are struggling to fit in all their tasks often with both parents working, then having to deal with dinner and homework, and preparing for the next day, but says it’s extremely important to focus on. “They’re making such a huge transition from being maybe in a couple of days a week pre-K program, or maybe even just at home to being fully at school from early morning to mid-afternoon. And so the kindergarten teachers have always stressed when you’re there at orientation, how really important it is that they get a full night of sleep…,” she says. “I think that sometimes as parents, we’re coming off to summer and especially this summer where people feel like they’ve just been let out of the house. It matters a ton as they’re going to be doing a lot of learning and have to do a lot of intense social interactions. She adds that parents are always looking for that “golden ticket” on something that will truly help their student be stronger academically and better behaved, and that this just might be it. “Sleep is probably even more important than all those. ”Īlanna McGinn, CEO, founder, and sleep consultant of Good Night Sleep Site says it’s essential to start preparing kindergarteners much before the first full day of school is here. “ Start with communicating the importance of sleep. Don’t just tell your child that they need to sleep. They want to please us and will continue to try and do so when they see how proud you are of them.” “Why is sleep important for them? How do they feel when they’ve had a good night of sleep? How do mom and dad feel when they have slept through the night? Praise and communicate when they have let you sleep through the night.Įxplain to them why they need to sleep,” she suggests.
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