It’s
that time of year once again and here we are trying to wrestled our children
back to a bedtime school routine, Is this you? I remember telling myself I am
going to keep a semi descent bed time routine throughout the summer, but with
the sun setting down sometimes past 9 p.m. and the eagerness of next day’s
activities, I couldn't quiet keep up that promise. Now I find myself with 5
overexcited not ready to call it a day kids. This past week I begin working on
getting them to settled down enough to be ready for bed, and here are some of
the ideas we been implementing for getting back to a Bedtime School routine.
1. Keep your kids
active Throughout the day, keep them busy
let them ride their bikes, encourage outside time as much as possible, have a
soccer match, basketball tournament, let them run, jump, skate, dance, hop,
even run through the sprinklers. You get the point keep them as physically
active as possible, so by the end of the day they have used up all that energy.
2. Go on a walk One thing that always works for our family is going on
walks, we usually are able to get all their wiggles out before going to bed. It
is also another way to connect with them and talk about the day’s events.
3. No sweets before night We have all heard not to give our children sugar before they
go to bed. One thing is that sugar like caffeine is a stimulant that releases
cortisol! If you have children like mine that swear they are starving
right when its bed time, here is a list of ideas of snacks that are OK before
night
Cheese Stick and whole grain
crackers
Apple Slices and Peanut Butter
A cup of Warm milk with a spoon of
honey
Whole Grain Cereal and Milk
Bananas
4. A warm bath will
always do the trick There is nothing more calming then a
warm bath, especially if you add Lavender body soap or a drop of essential Oil.
5. Establish and create a mini schedule they can mark off You can go and buy a chalkboard, or print a fancy paper or even just write it down on paper for them. For children to be able to mark off anything accomplish is truly an empowering thing for them.
- Change PJ's
- Brush Teeth
- Comb Hair
- Jump in Bed
6. Turn off the lights
or dim them down Turn off all the unnecessary lights,
and try to have a lamp with a dim light in your children's room, it will invite
the sense that it’s the end of the day and hopefully invite calmness.
7. READ a book or 2 or 3! One of the things that absolutely works in our home is to read. Start reading to them again, even if you haven't done it for a while. This takes away the need for them to entertain themselves jumping from bed to bed, or wrestling till you blow a whistle in despair. You become the center of the entertainment and children love that connection that comes from being read to.
8. Bed time tunes A lot of times I deal with my kids saying mom "I'm not
tired", "Mom I'm scared" even after baths, routines, walks,
turning off lights and reading books. I figured I was done right!!! but if this
is the case I have found that I can comfort them by playing some bed time
tunes. Go and buy a CD or put one together of your favorite soothing and
calming songs. Music has power to create all kinds of emotions and feelings,
and that is no exception to bringing a sense of peace that will calm them more
and more song after song.
9. Get them up even
when they fight it! It is the hardest thing to do, but
when you say is time to get up while they are still in vacation, get them up! I
struggle with this one but the more consistent I am with it, the sooner their
schedule will adjust to the school schedule. They will also be more prompted to
be ready for bed when you ask them to be ready.
10. Tuck them in I don't know about your children, but my children love to be
tucked in bed, I usually will cover them and then push the comforter close to
them to the point were they feel almost like wrap taquito, then I kiss
them Goodnight. Seems to do the trick especially for my older girls.
With a few of these suggestions you
should be well on your way to bringing the school routine, back into your
homes. Remember the motivation is the key and consistency the answer, and the
greatest reward as parents is the knowledge that our children do thrive in
routines.
By: Dennissa Ramirez Mother of
5 very energetic children.
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