- Rodgers School
- Sleep
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SleepIn the Spring of 2014, a survey was conducted of the current Pre-K and Kindergarten classes at Rogers School. Below is some information regarding the survey and some facts about sleep!
Pre-school students should be getting between 11 and 13 hours of sleep per night. Through our survey, we found that almost 60% of Rogers Pre-school students in our survey are getting less than 11 hours of sleep per night.
The recommended amount of sleep for Kindergarten students is at least 10 hours per night. Out of the 80 Kindergartners in our survey, almost 20% were getting less than 9 hours of sleep per night.
Sleep is a very important part of a child’s routine. It allows our brain to store all of the information we took in that day. The right amount of sleep gives us greater ability to remember facts, pay attention to what’s happening around us, and boosts our immune system to keep us healthy. Not only do we learn better after a good night’s sleep, we also understand the information better when we sleep well after a day full of learning! When a child is not getting the right amount of sleep, it impacts their ability to fully benefit from their school day.
Do you think your child needs more sleep? There are several things you can try!
- Have your child exercise whenever they can- a short walk around the block or some jumping jacks at home. Physical activity helps our bodies release energy and will allow children to fall asleep faster.
- Creating some relaxing nighttime rituals like reading a book, taking a warm bath, or listening to music will help signal the brain and body to slow down and prepare for sleep.
- It is important to create a bedtime that is the same each night (weekends too) and is early enough to allow your child to get the right amount of sleep. Kids should wake up around the same time each morning, too.
- Keeping the room dark will limit distractions that keep us from falling asleep. If your child can’t sleep without a nightlight, keep the light dim or on a timer.
- Things like TVs, tablets, and video games keep our brains awake. These activities should be limited to 1-2 hours before bedtime.