Back-to-School Wake Up Call
It's August. And for many students around the country that means one thing: back to school time. For parents, it means managing a necessary and sometimes difficult parental responsibility — waking sleepy children for school.
Waking up a child who is not exactly a morning person can be a stressful experience for even the calmest of parents. Rest assured, however, that with a little creativity and proper planning, you can get your child from bed to bus with minimal stress.
- Early to bed. Easier to rise. One of the easiest ways to ensure your child gets up on time is to get them to bed earlier. Experts say that preschoolers need at least 13 hours a sleep a night, while kids aged 5 to 12 need 11 hours. Kids over the age of ten require 8.5 to 9.5 hours a night, so be sure to adjust bedtime schedules accordingly.
- Natural waking. Wouldn't it be great to have your child wake up naturally? Well, there are actually a few things you can do to help along the process. Ten minutes before they wake up, turn on the light in their rooms, open their curtains, and leave the door open. Another way that's sure to get a kid out of bed (particularly a teen) is to cook their favorite foods, such as bacon.
- Waking incentives. Some call it bribery; others call it a good incentive. Either way, rewarding your children for getting up on their own is a proven and effective strategy. Consider giving your child a "wake up" bonus in their allowance for every day they wake up on their own. Or, buy them their favorite toy or game.
- Alarm them. Children want to feel grown up and responsible. One way to give them responsibility is to provide them with their own alarm clock and have them wake themselves. One popular alarm clock is Clocky Rolling Alarm Clock, which beeps and scoots away to make waking fun . Younger children might like fun themed alarm clocks, such as the Mini Mouse Alarm Clock. If you have a teen, turn their smartphone into an alarm clock, so that they can wake up to their favorite song.
- Creative waking. Wake up time is also a time to get creative. Consider waking children up to your singing (an especially attractive alternative if your singing is poor) or by dancing. Chances are your children will do anything to make you stop.
Teaching children good-waking patterns is a great way to ensure their day (and yours) gets off to a great start.