Back to School: Building Routines

Back to School: Building Routines

Summer is a time to stay up late, sleep in and hang out with friends. Waking up for that first day of a new school year can be a shock if children, teens and parents or caregivers have not come up with a plan – a routine.

Children need to get plenty of sleep in order to perform well in school. After a summer of staying up late and then sleeping in, many kid are out of their school year bedtime routines.

An estimated 30 to 50 percent of children have trouble sleeping well, but a few healthy habits could help many of them sleep more soundly.

• Don't drink caffeine after dinner.
• Regular exercise leads to better sleep.
• Turn off all electronic devices an hour before bedtime.
• Silence phones so text or message alerts won't wake the child up.
• Not allowing students to stay up too late on weekend nights will make Monday's early starts easier to deal with.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website notes that routines help children know what to expect as the day unfolds. Dr. Whiteside says, "developing routines for morning, bedtime and any other recurring event can make things run more smoothly at home and at school." Each family should begin the transition into a back-to-school routine at least a week or two before the first bell rings.

If your children participate in school sports, you know proper nutrition will help them perform at their best. The same holds true for academics. Mayo Clinic Children's Center pediatricians say healthy, nutritious foods will benefit kids' academic performance, behavior and overall health. Encouraging families to follow the 9-5-2-1-0 Let's Go! rule as a guide to good health and nutrition for kids:

• 9 – get nine hours of sleep per night
• 5 – eat five or more servings of fruit and vegetables every day
• 2 – limit screen time to two hours per day
• 1 – get one hour of exercise per day
• 0 – drink zero sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda and juice

Products to Help Get Ready for Back to School:

Speak to your medical professional or pharmacist for more information.

The material in this blog was sourced from:  mayoclinic.org; travel.gc.ca; cdc.gov/travel. It is intended for information purposes only and should not be used in place of consultation with a healthcare professional. Participating retailers/pharmacies, vendors, and/or agencies are not responsible for errors, omissions, or inconsistencies with respect to the information contained in this flyer and do not accept liability whatsoever for reliance by the reader on the information contained herein.