Ways to Improve Your Child's Grades (1 of 10)

Make Sure Your Child Has a Regular Bedtime & Enough Sleep

Evelyn Smith

MS in Library Science, University of North Texas (2012)

Updated March 14, 2014

From preschooler to teenager, a child needs a regularly scheduled bedtime and plenty of sleep each night to regulate the body’s biological clock. Not only can adhering to a regular bed time schedule and routine help a child stay healthy, but it can also dramatically improve scholastic performance particularly when it includes a bedtime story shared with mom or dad.   So it's important to know just how much sleep a child needs as well as how to put this information to use:

Recommended Sleep Schedules 
from Crib to College

• 1--4 weeks old:  16 hours per day

• 1--4 months old: 14--16 hours per day

• 4--12 months old: 14--15 hours per day

• 1--3 years old: 12--14 hours per day, including a 1 to 3 hour nap

• 3--6 years old: 10--12 hours per day (bedtime between 7 & 9 P.M.)

• 7--12 years old: 10--11 hours per day (bedtime between 7:30 & 9 P.M.)

• 12--18 years old: 8-9 hours per day (bedtime by 11 P.M.)

How much sleep do children need? (2012). Health and Parenting.  Web M.D. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/sleep-children

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 An Annotated Bedtime Bibliography:

Reasons for a Regular Schedule & Bedtime Routine

Bakalar, Nicholas. (2013, October 14).  Regular bedtimes tied to better behavior. Well.  New York Times.  Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/regular-bedtimes-tied-to-better-behavior/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

British researchers have found that young children aged three, five, and seven with regular bed times had fewer behavior problems than those with irregular bedtimes. The longer irregular bedtime patterns went on, the more severe behavior problems were whereas children exhibited better behavior if they kept regular bed times by age seven (Bakalar, 2013, October 14, para. 2-4)

Breus, Michael J. (2014).  .Back to school, back to sleep: Fixing your children's sleep problems may improve their grades and their behavior. WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/fixing-sleep-problems-may-improve-childs-grades-and-behavior

Sleep deprivation in children and teens ravages health, academic performance, and behavior, yet many elementary and secondary students are sleep derived, with 2/3rds of them having some sleep problems (Breus, 2014, para. 1-2).

Research shows that daytime sleepiness that results from not getting enough sleep at night adversely impacts discipline, aptitude, concentration, attention, and mood.  One study, for example, showed that students with below average grades (C’s, D’s, and F’s) get 25 fewer minutes sleep per night than those A and B students who go to bed 40 minutes later (Breus, 2013, para. 3).

Poor sleepers are more depressed, tense, and irritable than those who get a good night’s sleep, so it’s not surprising that they have a poor self-image.  One study also equated not enough sleep with hyperactivity and inattentiveness (Breus, 2013, para. 4-5).

Children and sleep.  (n. d.).  National Sleep Foundation.  Retrieved from http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/children-and-sleep

Preschoolers (age 3 to 5) need 11 to 13 hours of sleep each night, and most refuse to take naps by age five.  At this age, they also experience nightmares.  To ensure that preschoolers get some quality sleep, make sure they have a regular sleep schedule as well as a relaxing and consistent bedtime routine.  They should also sleep in the same room nightly where it is quiet and dark (Children and sleep, n. d., para. 18-19).

Elementary-school children (age 5-12) need between 10 to 11 hours of sleep nightly, even though homework and extracurricular activities can place demands on their time particularly in the older elementary grades. Nevertheless, inadequate sleep can lead to mood swings, hyperactivity, and learning problems.  Thus, mom or dad needs to explain  to their school-age children why they should develop healthy sleep habits as well as continue to emphasize their need for a consistent sleep schedule and regular bedtime and bedtime routine.  That means no computers or TV in the bedroom, restricting night time TV viewing to the early evening hours if children have finished their homework and cutting out caffeinated sodas (Children and sleep, n. d., para. 20-22).

Foley, L. S., Maddison, R., Jiang, Y., et al. (2013, February). Presleep activities and time of sleep onset in children.  Pediatrics, 131(2), 276—82. doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-1651.  [Abstract only].  Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23319532

New Zealand researchers discovered that television watching was the most commonly reported activity of the self-reported behaviors of children from age 5 to 18 in the 90 minutes before bedtime, accounting for thirty minutes of the hour and a half time before they went to bed. Study participants who fell asleep later spent more time watching TV than those who went to sleep at an earlier time.  Researchers thus concluded that reduced screen time in the hour and a half before bedtime may help children  and teens get to sleep earlier as well as increase the amount of sleep they get at night.

Teens and sleep. (n. d.).  National Sleep Foundation.  Retrieved from http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep

Since biological sleep patterns shift to a later time during adolescence, teens may not be able to fall asleep until 11 P.M.; however, they still need at least 9 ¼ hours of sleep each night to function at their best (Teens, n. d., para. 1).  Unfortunately, teens also tend to have irregular sleep patterns, staying up late on weekend night and sleeping in on weekends, which can disturb their biological clocks (Teens, n. d., para. 1).

Teens are infamous for their lack of sleep.

Getting not enough sleep can result in all kinds of problems:

• Lack of sleep can limit the ability to learn and solve problems;

• It can contribute to acne (believe it or not);

• Sleep deprivation can also contribute to aggressive and/or inappropriate behavior;

• Not enough sleep, or failure to get to sleep, can cause individuals to eat too much and make unhealthy food choices (possibly in the middle of the night);

• Sleeplessness additionally can increase the effect of alcohol and possibly contribute to the use of nicotine and caffeine;

• Finally, lack of sleep can make an individual more susceptible to illnesses.

(Teens, n. d., para. 2)

The National Sleep Foundation, however, has some suggestions that will help young adults get a restful night’s sleep:

• Make getting enough sleep a regular priority;

• Make sure the bedroom is quiet and dark;

• Don’t rely on caffeine to make up for a loss of sleep because this might further interfere with sleep patterns;

• Establish a regular schedule to go to sleep and awake, adhering to it even on weekends;

• Don’t eat, drink, or exercise within a few hours before bed;

• Keep a regular bedtime routine to signal to the body that it’s time for sleep; for example, keeping a novel on a bedside table.

• Keep a to-do list by the bed as well, jotting down things that need to be done, so as not to worry about them during the night.

(Teens, n. d., para. 3)

To get to sleep at a regular time each night, parent and child need to work together to come up with an enjoyable bedtime routine, setting up a consistently pleasant time and place to fall asleep:

Bedtime routines for school-aged children.  (2013, November 20). Healthy Children.org.  Retrieved from http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/Pages/Bedtime-Routines-for-School-Aged-Children.aspx

Tidying up the room and putting away books and toys can become a part of a bedtime routine, setting the mood for listening to a bedtime story or music as well as readying for the next day by picking out the clothes (Bedtime Routines, 2013, November 20, para. 1).

By middle school, a bedtime routine on weekends has probably become a little less regimented, although tweens and teens still need to keep to about the same sleeping and waking cycle, or else their school work will suffer (Bedtime Routines, 2013, November 20, para. 2).

Children are experts at delaying bedtime, so mom or dad might need to limit the things kids insist they need to do before bedtime.  For example,  a parent can let them choose the bedtime story, but should make sure that the immediate bedtime routine stays under 30 minutes (Bedtime Routines, 2013, November 20, para. 3-4). 

As older elementary school children and middle school students mature, parents need to allow for more options in the bedtime routine (Bedtime Routines, 2013, November 20, para. 5).

Sleep in school-aged children (6-12 Years). (n. d,). The Neuroscience Center.  Nationwide Children’s Hospital.  Retrieved from http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/sleep-in-school-aged-children

From:   Mindell J.A. & Owens, J. A. (2003).  A Clinical Guide to Pediatric Sleep:  Diagnosis and Management of Sleep Problems.  Philadelphia:  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Research shows that elementary school age children still need between 10 to 11 hours sleep nightly, even though with increasing homework, extracurricular evening activities, and a later bed time, not getting enough sleep is not unusual during the elementary school years. They also  might also suffer from sleepwalking, sleep terrors, teeth grinding, night-time fears, snoring, and noisy breathing (Neuroscience, n. d., para. 1). 

Signs of sleep deprivation in school-aged children can include moodiness, not following directions, hyperactivity, a short attention span, memory problems, a slow reaction time, faulty decision-making, and lack of creativity (Neuroscience, n. d., 2-5).

To ensure that elementary school children sleep well, set a regular sleep schedule, keeping a consistent bedtime routine made up of calming and enjoyable activities (Neuroscience, n. d., para. 6-7).  That requires setting up a soothing environment in a dark and quiet place as well as setting limits when children put off going to bed (Neuroscience, n. d., para. 8-9). 

It also means turning off the TV, computer, radio, and taking away the cell phone or any other stimulating activities that interfere with bed time as well as restricting caffeine drinks, such as iced tea, hot chocolate, or sodas after dinner (Neuroscience, n. d., para. 10-11).

Finally, if your child regularly has problems falling asleep, speak to a pediatrician (Neuroscience, n. d., para. 12).

Sleep matters. (2014). Learning. Parents.  BBC.  Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/parents/sleep_matters/

Child-care experts acknowledge that since sleep plays a vital role in both physical and mental  development. So from the children’s earliest years through young adulthood its vital to get enough sleep at night:

• Getting enough sleep allows children’s bodies to release a hormone that is essential to the growth spurt that will take them into puberty;

•  Lack of sleep makes it difficult to concentrate and results in forgetfulness, irritability, clumsiness, and being mistake prone.

(BBC, 2014, para. 1-2)

Indeed, research shows that getting enough night-time sleep is just as important as eating healthy foods and exercising regularly (BBC, 2014, para. 3).

School children between the ages of 5 and 11 need 10 to 12 hours of sleep nightly (BBC, 2014, para. 4-5), but during times of stress, such as the start of a new school year, they  may need to gets more sleep (BBC, 2014, para. 7).  Establishing an individualized bedtime routine, however, is the best way of ensuring that each child meets this requirement.  Accordingly, with the child's input, devise a routine that with a bath and bedtime story combined lasts no more than 30 to 40 minutes (BBC, 2014, para. 4), allowing 20 minutes for the story.* Each parent should look on bedtime as an opportunity to bond with his or her child, and as the child senses this, he or she will settle down to sleep (BBC, 2014, para. 6).   

Even on the weekends and in the summer, don’t set a later bedtime by more than an hour since a child’s mind and body works best when it keeps to a set schedule (BBC, 2014, para. 5 & 8).

In about fifth- or sixth-grade, the school child will usually want to stay up later, which makes for an irritable school day.  Therefore, it’s best to ban access to the Internet, computer games, or TV watching in the hour or so before bed (BBC, 2014, para. 9-10).

The adolescence mind and body need between 8 and a half to ten hours sleep per night. So even though it’s harder to keep a bedtime routine, a conscientious parent needs to remind an older son or daughter that lack of sleep results in behavior problems, lack of concentration, and lower achievement in school as well as weight gain since lack of sleep inhibits the production of appetite-controlling hormones (BBC, 2014, para. 11-13).

Often an older child doesn’t realize when he or she isn't getting enough sleep, so a parent needs to help him or her set an earlier bedtime.  Even though a bedtime routine at this stage can be hard to enforce, it can still serve as an opportunity for spending quality time together (BBC, 2014, para. 14).

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Coming Up with a Set Bedtime Routine Helps Kids Know 
Why Going to Sleep is Important

Parents should ban Social Media from the bedroom at night

to ensure their tweens and teens get enough quality sleep. 

Children and teens need set bedtimes that jive with their biological clocks.  However, teens are much less likely to get enough sleep, as pointed out by recent research.

A March 13, 2014,  New York Times feature story suggests that high schools next to roll back starting times to about 9 a.m. to accommodate adolescents who can’t seem to get to sleep until after 11, thus ensuring that they get at least eight hours of sleep at night.  In the meanwhile, sleep studies underline the importance of removing cell phones from the bedroom at night (or else shutting them away in a  bedside table drawer, so the light from the phones doesn't interfere with circadian rhythms (Hoffman, 2014, March 14, para. 29-30).

Hoffman, Jan. (2014, March 13).  To Keep Teenagers Alert, Schools Let Them Sleep In.  Well.  The New York Times.  Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/to-keep-teenagers-alert-schools-let-them-sleep-in/

COLUMBIA, Mo. –  A sleep-deprived teenager, Jilly Dos Santos, turned into a sleep activist when she heard that the school day would start even earlier at 7:20 instead of the  7:50 a.m., thus joining a nearly 20-year movement in which hundreds of high schools have started after 8 a.m. to accommodate the adolescent biological clock (Hoffman, 2014, March 13, para. 1-6).

Researchers at the University of Minnesota in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control have similarly found that when high schools started at a later time, this improved teens mental health, attendance, grades, and standardized test scores.  Although this study was not a randomized controlled trial that would have compared school that changed times with those who didn’t do so, critics lavel the methods “pragmatic” and its findings “promising”—so much so, that “schools with limited resources can make this one policy chance with what appears to be benefits for their students (Hoffman, 2014, March 13, para. 8-10).

 During adolescence, teens need eight or nine hours of sleep to moderate impulsive or risky behavior; however, this need also clashes with a late release of the sleep hormone that naturally delays the time they start feeling drowsy until around 11 p.m.  Furthermore, keeping any electronic devices in the bedroom can further delay sleep patterns, since the blue light from cell phones tricks the brain into sensing daylight (Hoffman, 2014, March 13, para. 11-12).

All the same, those parents and students skeptical about an adolescent’s need for sleep object into starting school later, since this delays sports practice and extracurricular activities, and jeopardizes after school jobs (Hoffman, 2014, March 13, para. 13-14).

Dos Santos, who was taking an Advanced Placement world history class that examines the role of leadership and also urges students to act on their passions, went to the Columbia School District Board after noting that if the first school bell rang at 7:20 a.m., this meant she would have to get up at 6 a.m.—a far too early time for teens who don’t fall asleep until after 11 p.m. (Hoffman, 2014, March 14, para. 15-19).

Thus, before going before the school board, she stayed awake all night, creating a Facebook page and set up a Twitter account  alerting students about her cause, contacted a nonprofit group, Start School Later, and recruited friends to research empirical studies on sleep, and finally started an online petition.  Dos Santos’ recruited volunteers created posters and fliers and posted advice on Twitter.  Then when a demurely dressed Dos Santos appeared before the school board, upon debating the issue, they decided to start at a later time. She went on to campaign for starting school still later in the day—a move recommended by the Brookings Institute in 2011, and a move the Columbia School District Board subsequently voted for 6-1 when it pushed back school starting times to 9 a.m. seven months ago (Hoffman, 2014, March 14, para. 21-25 & 34).

Students, teachers, and parents have taken awhile to adjust to the new normal at the Columbia School District’s high school as athletes miss last period to attend away games, and 11:30 p.m. comes even more quickly. Meanwhile school buses now have Wi-Fi access so athletes can do homework on the road, sports practice often comes before school, and some classes only meet twice weekly.  But students are better rested and alert (Hoffman, 2014, March 13, para. 35-37). 

As for the University of Minnesota study mentioned earlier, it tracked 9,000 Colorado, Wyoming, and Minnesota high school students in five school districts before and after their schools moved their times back until after 8 p.m.  since only a third of both inner-city and affluent students were only getting eight of more hours of sleep every day and were thus more lightly to suffer from depression, the overuse of caffeine, alcohol, and illegal drugs than their “better-rested peers”.  However, when school started at 8:35 a.m., almost 60 percent of students received eight hours of sleep nightly (2011 (Hoffman, 2014, March 14, para. 26-28).

For example, 

• When the Jackson, Wyoming, high school moved its starting bell from 7:35 to 8:55 p.m., crashes by teenage drivers dropped from 23 to 7 during 2012, and grades for the most part improved.

• When the South Washington County, Minnesota, District moved the school day back to starting at 8:35 a.m., grades rose in morning classes between half a point and a full grade point.  

• ACT score roses in two of the five districts the University of Minnesota studied.

(Hoffman, 2014, March 14, para. 29-30)

The scientific explanation for this change lies in the fact that teens only store new facts during Rapid Eye-Movement phases of sleep, whereupon the brain actively sorts and categorizes what happened during the day.  But “without enough sleep, . . . teenagers are losing the ability not only to solidify information but to transform and restructure it,. . . “ (Hoffman, 2014, March 14, para. 31-32). 

Morin, Amy. (2014). Examples of bedtime rules and routines for kids and teens.  Prevent behavior problems at bedtime by creating rules and routines.  Discipline.  About.com. http://discipline.about.com/od/establishingrules/a/Examples-Of-Bedtime-Rules-And-Routines-For-Kids-And-Teens.htm

Since a lack of clear routine at bedtime can result in sleep deprivation, which, in turn, leads to behavior and school problems, it’s necessary to come up with a “clear set of written bedtime rules” that will instill a healthy lifetime of good habits (Morin, 2014, para. 1-2).

Studies show that whatever a child’s age, he or she will function best with a set bedtime routine (Morin, 2014, para. 3).   Morin subsequently provides sample lists of bedtime rules for a preschooler, a grade school kid, the tween, and teen—all of which establish a time for lights out, and past preschool a time to shut off the TV, cell phone, or computer. She also encourages each family to come up with its own unique set of rules (2014, para. 5-9).

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 Setting the Mood:
Read a Story before Bed to Preschool &

Elementary School Kids

Both preschoolers and elementary-school children benefit 

from bedtime stories.

Cohen, Christine.  (2014). The Importance of reading bedtime stories to big kids. Parent and Child Magazine. Scholastic, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/parent-child/imortance-reading-bedtime-stories-to-big-kids

Parents should save the ritual of reading a story to  a child even after he or she can read for him or herself since this will help him or her become a better reader (Cohen, 2014, para. 1).  By continuing this practice, he or she will also better understand how the child sees the world as valuable individualized reading instruction time that the child just won’t receive at school.  For example, when a parent reads aloud with expression, the older elementary-school age child will note when you pause for punctuation and raise and lower the voice or speed up or slow down the voice, thus learning the natural order that most plots follow (Cohen, 2014, para. 2-3).

Additionally, reading aloud to an older elementary school child helps him or her to analyze and reflect back on the texts since commenting aloud on what is happening in the text and asking questions about it helps add to his or her understanding about a topic (Cohen, 2014, para. 4).

Moreover, if an elementary-school age pupil who is a fluent readers hears good writing often enough, he or she will try to duplicate it in his or her own writing (Cohen, 2014, para. 5).

However, a parent who meets with resistance to this plan, may need to come up with a plan to include 20 minutes* of bedtime reading in his or her child’s bedtime routine:

• Start gradually, not entirely replacing independent reading;

• Take turns reading aloud to each other;

• Add a Hook; for example, agree to read a book before renting the movie;

• Don’t always limit reading together to bedtime;

• Switch things up; Share graphic novels, e-books, or news articles;

• Sometimes share picture books with mature themes.

(Cohen, 2014, para. 6-12)

Levy, Andrew. (2013, September 17). How stopping bedtime stories too early can damage children's literacy: Those who are read to are more likely to enjoy books.  Daily Mail. Retrieved from  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2423721/Stopping-bedtime-stories-early-damage-childrens-literacy.html

Oxford University Press research has discovered that when parents stop reading aloud too soon, around age seven, they are damaging their future as functionally literate adults, even though 66 percent of all six-year-old children still liked sharing bedtime stories and other recreational reading with a parent At age seven, however, this percentage plummets to 44 percent (Levy, 2013, September 17, para. 1-4).

Although nine in ten British parents were read aloud to as children, according to online bookseller Littlewoods.com, contemporary parents are often too busy or stressed out to take the time to do this for their children, or else they concluded that the children would rather watch TV or play video games (Levy, 2013, September 17, para. 5-6).

However, a study from the National Literacy Trust cautioned that elementary students are more likely to read above their grade level if they enjoy reading books for recreation.  Thus, when parents serve as reading role models, they improve their children’s attitudes about reading (Levy, 2013, September 17, para. 7-8).

Interestingly enough, almost half of all reluctant readers would enjoy reading more if a parent sat with them (Levy, 2013, September 17, para. 10).  Accordingly, the Trust recommended that only 10 minutes* of reading aloud with a child daily can further his or her education, noting that reading together six days a week is cheaper than an hour spent with a reading tutor (Levy, 2013, September 18, para. 11-12).

*This this amount of parent involvement is ten-minutes less than  the magical 20 minutes a popular children’s literacy program, the Children’s Reading Foundation, recommends, the American Association of School Librarians documents how all beginning and struggling readers benefit from modeling their reading by listening to a proficient reader, and the AASL recommends the more chances they have to do this the better.

Pyrnne, Miranda. (2014, January 27).  Bedtime story reading on the rise, study claims.   Home » Education » Education News.  The Telegraph.  Retrieved from  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10599061/Bedtime-story-reading-on-the-rise-study-claims.html

A survey of over 1,000  visitors to  the Netmums Website commissioned by the makers of Aquafresh Kids toothpaste reveals that respondents read more to their children than their parents did—nearly 75 percent of all those answering the questionaire read bedtime stories to their children five nights per week while 50 percent read to their children every night.  Only four percent confess that they never read to their children (Pyrnne, 2014, January 27, para. 1 & 4-7).

Although voluntary polls often give a biased result, this poll is most encouraging since if it is correct, the rate of parents who regularly read to their children has almost doubled in a generation from the 37 percent of the previous generation of British parents who read bedtime stories to their children five nights per week particularly since over half of all contemporary parents admit that their own parents never read to them (Pyrnne, 2014, January 27, para.6). 

Over half the respondents alter the tales, adding real life situations or celebrities to them to make them seem more relevant to modern children.  Ten percent shorten the stories, and 35 percent read for only about seven minutes* (Pyrnne, 2014, January 27, para.2 &  & 10-12). Reasons for reading to children varies: 66 percent of the parents believe that it helps them bond with the children; 75 percent read their children to sleep; more than half feel that bedtime stories encourage creativity (Pyrnne, 2014, January 27, para. 8-9).  As in previous generations, British mothers are more likely to read stories to their children than fathers since only 25 percent of all dads do so (Pyrnne, 2014, January 27, para. 13). 

Why children of school age still need a bedtime story. (2007, Janaury 16).  London Evening Standard.  Retrieved from http://www.standard.co.uk/news/why-children-of-school-age-still-need-a-bedtime-story-7213832.html

Although many parents stop reading to a child once he or she has learned to read, bedtime stories should continue throughout elementary school else their parents “risk jeopardizing their learning”, according to The National Literary Report that claims that continuing to foster a love of reading helps children to do better when taking standardized tests.  Educators also claim that “parental involvement in reading has more influence on children’s achievement than any other factor, including how well-educated or rich their parents are” (London Standard, 2007, January 16, para. 1-3 & 5). Nevertheless, while during the first four years of life 53 percent of all parents read aloud daily, this percentage drops to 37 percent for children aged 5 to 8 and to 21 percent for 9-to-12-year-old children (London Standard, 2007, January 16, para. 6-7).

The National Literacy Report further emphasized that reading for pleasure translates into better reading skills, writing abilities, larger vocabularies, and greater general knowledge (London Standard, 2007, para. 9). Reading aloud to a child not only underlines the importance of being involved in his or her education, but it also gives a child one-on-one help.  For instance, when a parent and child are reading together, the parent can pronounce mispronounced words again and perhaps explain things more clearly than the teacher does (London Standard, 2007, para. 10-11),

.

The report also warned against a decline in reading enjoyment among children as well as pointing out that elementary schools have cut spending on books (London Standard, 2007, para. 12-13).

Additional Reference on Bedtime Reading:

*The Children’s Reading Foundation. (n. d.).  Retrieved from

http://www.readingfoundation.org/more.jsp

Cullinan, Bernice E. (2014). Independent reading and school achievement.  American Association of School Librarians.  American Library Association. Retrieved from

http://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/slmrcontents/volume32000/independent

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Bedtime Prayers & Stories of Faith 
for Children

Train up a child in the way he should go,

And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)

The following collection of prayers and stories can be taught to preschool and elementary school children brought up in either the Christian, Jewish, or Islamic faiths.

Christianity

Bedtime faith formation.  (2013).  Catholic Family Faith.  Retrieved from http://www.catholicfamilyfaith.com/2010/05/bedtime-faith-formation.html

Bedtime stories. (2013). Three Thirty Ministries. Retrieved from http://threethirtyministries.org/bedtime-stories-for-kids/

Eisnaugle, Jill. (2014). Bedtime prayer.  Christianity.  About.com.  Retrieved from

http://christianity.about.com/od/membersubmittedprayers/qt/bedtimeprayer.htm

Bedtime prayers. (2013). Faith in the Home vs. Faith in the Church and Church School Classroom. Trinity Episcopal Church, pp. 14-15.  Retrieved from

http://www.trinitynewtownct.org/%5CFTP-FOLDERS%5Cchurchschoolforms%5CFaith%20at%20Home%20Resources%20for%20Parents.pdf

Peach, David.  (2014).  10 popular bedtime prayers.  What Christians Want to Know.  Telling Ministries, LLC.  Retrieved from

http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/10-popular-bedtime-prayers/

 Judaism

Bedtime rituals. (2011). Union for Reform Judaism.  Retrieved from http://urj.org/learning/teacheducate/childhood/bedtime/

Jewish prayers: Bedtime prayers.  Jewish Virtual Library.  Retrieved from 
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/bedtime.html

Pelaia, Ariela. (2014). Jewish bedtime rituals for children.  Spirituality.  About.com.  Retrieved from http://judaism.about.com/od/judaismbasics/a/Jewish-Bedtime-Rituals-For-Children.htm

Islam

Bedtime prayer.  Prayer Library.  [Islamic prayer].  Belief.net.  Retrieved from http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Islam/Bedtime/Bedtime-Prayer.aspx

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Sample Bedtime Routines

Below readers will find both a sample preschool and elementary school bedtime routine.  However, activities such as checking homework and taking baths can be shifted according to how many children the parent or parents need to see to bed. 

The bedtime routine for elementary school children includes homework, spelling, and math components during the school year.  Please understand, however, that at this age even with one-on-one instruction children have very short attention spans, so don't take too long on them.  The checking homework part of this to-do list is simply a check to see if the children have completed all the work assigned along with some very quick corrections and explanations. For instance, mom or dad might suggest that a child forgot to carry the one when adding a column of figures, or he or she needs to look up a couple of misspellings, thus, teaching the skill of proof reading.

A mini spelling review can include a pretest on Monday followed by drill and practice on Tuesday and Wednesday of misspelled words and a final spelling test on Thursday night, so the student can make a 100 on the test on Friday.  For example, the child might rewrite the misspelled words five times; and after this, a parent might test only the previously misspelled words to see if he or she is now spelling them correctly.  In the math slot, the parent can teach small snippets of math that will take no longer than 10 minutes; for instance, how to count out change or part of the multiplication tables.  Of course, like everything else nowadays, there's an app for that  put out by the Bedtime Math Foundation.* On weekends,  memorizing scripture or perhaps learning a poem can be substituted for these activities. 

Elementary School Bedtime Routine 

     

Activities	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
No TV after 7 P.M.
Check homework
Review Spelling/math*
Bath
Pajamas
Brush teeth
Drink of water
Pick up room
Pick out clothes
Bedtime story*
Prayer
Lights out

Preschool Bedtime Routine

Activities	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
No TV after supper
Bath
Pajamas
Brush teeth
Drink of water
Pick up toys
Pick out clothes
Bedtime story*
Prayer
Lights out

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*Online Bedtime Ritual Resources 

Bedtime games for children. (2014). Hub Pages.  Retrieved from http://hubpages.com/hub/Bedtime-Games

Bedtime math.  (2014). Bedtime Math Foundation.  Retrieved from http://bedtimemath.org/

Children’s bedtime poems. (2013).  Poets.org.  Academy of American Poetry.  Retrieved from

http://www.poets.org/notebookdetail.php/prmNotebookID/383430

The Children’s Reading Foundation. (n. d.).  Retrieved from

http://www.readingfoundation.org/more.jsp

Chua, Sacha. (2012, February 8).  Spell-offs and bedtime stories.  Living an Awesome Life.  Retrieved from http://sachachua.com/blog/2012/02/helping-kids-build-vocabularies-spell-offs-bedtime-stories/

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 Bedtime Story Book Lists

Head for the Library to check out the selections from this list of read aloud picture and chapter books for children recommended by reviewers:

Best bedtime stories.  (2014).  Goodreads.com.  Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8758.Best_bedtime_stories

Goodreads has compiled a list of their favorite 61 bedtime stories for preschoolers, beginning with Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon.

Moret, Brighid. (2012, June 28).  Top 10 bedtime stories: Children’s books you will love.  Communities.  The Washington Times.  Retrieved from

http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/parenting-first-time-through/2012/jun/28/Top_10_bedtime_stories_Childrens_books_love/

Moret offers a list of both classic and new bedtimes stories that parents or toddlers and preschoolers should love reading to their children.

Read aloud books lists. (2014).  Listopedia.  Goodreads. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/read-aloud

Goodreads has compiled a listopedia of best read aloud books, including books for toddlers and preschoolers and chapter books for older children.  Readers can choose books geared to particular grades up through grade 7 as well as books for different genders and from different genres.

Shelves > bedtime stories > popular bedtime stories books.  (2014).  Goodreads.com.   Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/bedtime-stories

This Goodreads list includes books for preschoolers and toddlers as well as elementary school students.  Along with Goodnight Moon, Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree, and Mary Logue’s Sleep Like a Tiger make up the first five books. 

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Other blog pages in the Ways to Improve Your Child’s Grades series:

Don't Believe that IQ Can't Be Changed! (2015, August 21). Retrieved from http://evelynelainesmith.blogspot.com/2015/08/ways-to-improve-your-childs-grades-7-0f.html

Give your child social skills training:  Teaching manners and social skills doesn’t stop at age seven. (2014, July 18). Retrieved from http://evelynelainesmith.blogspot.com/2014/07/ways-to-improve-your-childs-grade-5-of.html

Improve Your Child's Grades: A Check List [8 out of 10]. Retrieved from http://evelynelainesmith.blogspot.com/2015_10_01)archive.html

Limit and Monitor the Use of Social Media: How Social Media Influences Academic Success. (17 February 2014; revised 2015, January 6). Retrieved from https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6180686702778716801#editor/target=post;postID=7228483845226909971;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=34;src=postname

Make sure your child participates in aerobic exercise daily:  Students who regularly exercise make better grades.  (2014, March 8). http://evelynelainesmith.blogspot.com/2014/03/ways-to-improve-your-childs-grades-3-of.html

Read to your child daily:  Read aloud and along with children to ensure their success.  (2014, July 11).  Retrieved from http://evelynelainesmith.blogspot.com/2014/07/ways-to-improve-your-childs-grades-4-of.html

Teach Your Child Time Management Skills. (2015, February 6). Retrieved from http://evelynelainesmith.blogspot.com/2015/02/ways-to-improve-your-childs-grades-6-of.html