Dear Parents,
Are you worried that the lockdown extension has caused your kids to neglect your sleep?
We’re sure most of you would answer with a resounding YES!
Your worries for your children are well-founded, since your kids no longer have to get up early to go to school, and they are stuck at home anyway. So, they tend to stay up late, which can be problematic.
But don’t fret! We at AHEAD Junior have created a simple guide to help your kids sleep tight during the extended lockdown!
Set Limits With Gaming
Your kids now have a lot of free time on their hands, because of the sudden lack of a reason to wake up early. After all, you no longer have to bring them to school, and they can now finish the school year online!
Predictably, they would play all the games that their schoolwork prevented them from playing. Remember, playing video games in itself is not inherently bad, but anything that is too much will become bad.
So, please limit the gaming time of your children. These kinds of games steal away your child’s sleep hours, so please regulate their playing time. You don’t need to ban your kids from playing games (unless they are already addicted), just make sure their playing time is managed properly. But to prevent any negative influences on their malleable minds, no Grand Theft Auto please!
PHASE OUT THE SIESTA!
We find it harder to sleep at night after taking a siesta. This gives you a lot of pent-up energy but no ways to spend it. This is even more apparent in kids, as they are more energetic than adults, leading them to sleep late at night instead.
And because they sleep late at night, they wake up later, which begins a cycle of sleeping late and waking up late. To avoid this, remind your kids to avoid sleeping at odd hours so that they do not feel too energetic at night and make them unable to go to bed.
So, it’s high time that we realize that the Hispanic siesta is an obsolete tradition, for we now know that it messes up our sleep schedule. It also gave us the image of being lazy, to the point the Spaniards even used it against us, when they brought the practice here. Follow a normal sleep schedule, so you don’t put your kids, and even you, out of whack!
Get Physical at Home!
This won’t just keep you in shape, this will also help release some of that pent-up energy that your kids may have. Physical activities allow your kids to exercise and have fun even amidst the lockdown, as well as serve as bonding between them and their parents.
These activities do not need a large space. You can simply play board games or teach your kids how to cook simple meals. What is important is that it releases some of their energy so that they become tired when it comes to bed time.
Good Night, Sleep Tight!
Sleeping well allows kids to rest their bodies so that they will be prepared for tomorrow’s activities. With today’s lockdown, however, it makes it hard for kids to get enough sleep and on time due to the large amount of free time they have. But with these tips, we hope we can assist you with helping your kids get their rest.