The summer holidays gave rise to more permissiveness on the part of the parents. Bedtime at 20:30 p.m. was delayed to take advantage of sunny evenings, dinners with family and friends. It is time, now, to resume a rhythm compatible with the school days.
Interviewed by our colleagues from Madame Figaro, Claire Leconte, researcher in chronobiology and professor of educational psychology at Lille-III University, gives her advice.
1. Help the child to recognize his signs of fatigue
There are several: feeling cold, yawning, rubbing the eyes with the hands… It’s time to go to bed. From kindergarten to the end of elementary school, a child should sleep between 10 and 12 hours, counting the sleep of the night and that of the nap.
2. No screen before sleeping
If during the summer the child was allowed to watch the TV in the evening or to play on a tablet or a console, it is better to put it away in a drawer as the start of the school year approaches. The screens cast a bluish light that misleads the brain’s clock into thinking it is still daytime, which can delayfalling asleep.
3. Establish a bedtime ritual
This reassures the child and allows him to lower the pressure. Before bedtime, we forget everything that excites and we move on to calmer activities preparing for sleep: telling a story, singing a nursery rhyme, listening to nice music, practicing some exercises. sophrologie promoting sleep … To each child according to his tastes.
4. Take a nap
To go to school, the child will have to get up earlier than during the holidays. So, we swap the sleepover for a little one nap in the early afternoon, just after the meal. It will help the child to recover and be able to get up earlier within a few days.
5. Make the most of the sun if possible!
Melatonin, which is the sleep hormone, needs… sun! So before returning to the classroom, make the most of the sun during the day (or at least the natural light!) By playing outside rather than inside.
6. Sleep in the dark
If melatonin needs daylight to recharge, the child, to synthesize it, needs to sleep in the dark. If he’s scared, we can plug in a small night light next to his bed.