How to Shift Your Kid from Sleep Mode to School Mode

Do you remember what it was like during your first few weeks of the school year? If you were like most people, you wished summer was just a bit longer. You probably wanted to sleep in or do something else at 7 o’clock in the morning (probably sleep in, though).

Fast-forward a couple years later, and you’re now waking your kids up, rushing them to get ready for school. And the problem is… they are just like you.

Some people think there’s nothing you can do to solve this problem. But there is!

There are little things you can do right before school starts and during the first few weeks to get them in the habit of going to school cranky and/or feeling tired. The best part is: if you do these things early in the school year, you can do throughout the school year.

Here are 3 main things you can do to turn on the learning switch in your child’s head that make their head pop off the bed excited for the day:

1. Use Technology (and Encourage Learning at Home)

I know what you’re thinking: “Use more technology? They already spend so much time on it already!”

Using the Internet is not a bad thing, especially when you’re trying to be more productive. What matters is how you use it, and whether you use it in moderation.

Try replacing an hour of recreational online usage (online gaming, social media activity, etc.) with one hour of educational online usage.

If you want your child to think better in school and stay active early in the schoolyear, focus on your child’s mindset.

Plus, this goes very much in line with what the GCC’s education sector wants. They always make efforts to increase the use of ‘smart’ devices for teaching and learning purposes. You can partake in this, too, by spending an hour or two showing them that learning can be fun when you use the Internet.

Some Things You Can Teach through the Internet:

Trade one hour of video games for one hour of intellectual conversation with you. Select three or four articles that you think are worth discussing, and have a conversation about them. (You can even mix it up with some podcasts and audiobooks if they prefer listening to something.)
Start a family dictionary and come up with a ‘Word of the Day’.
Interview your local community to learn more about your neighborhood (and post it online).
Get them writing! You can get them to start their own personal blog (which they can write in daily).
Get them reading! Pull out the books and resources from last year’s schoolyear and set up a class time for them to review their old material.

2. Set up a Sleep Schedule

Who likes getting a call from a teacher saying that their kid was dozing off in class? (Certainly not a proud parent.)

After a long summer or winter break likely filled with many where your kids stay up and sleep in during the day, going back to school means their sleeping patterns will have to change.

Rather than allowing them to stay up until midnight, help them adapt to a sleeping schedule early by gradually turning back the clock by one hour every couple of days. For example, if your child is sleeping at 2 o’clock on August 15, make sure they’re asleep by 1 o’clock by August 17, and then midnight by August 20. That way, they won’t be sleep deprived and their sleeping cycles will be back to normal.

More Things-ZzZz to Consider

Turn off the electronics! Texting, watching TV shows and playing video games keep us awake, as the photoreceptors in our eyes signal the brain that we have ‘light’ surrounding us. It’s the same reason why we sleep at night and stay awake during the day. (So don’t mix up night and day.)
Have them try to maintain the same sleep schedule on weekends and semi-long holidays like Eid.
Ease off the caffeine. Energy drinks like Red Bull and sodas like Pepsi only give kids short bursts of energy. Caffeine takes about 3-5 hours to deplete from your system, as well, so don’t catch them drinking coffee at 10 o’clock at night.

3. Stop Procrastination in its Tracks

Let’s be honest: we’ve all been guilty pressing the metaphoric snooze button, whether it’s in bed or at work.
This is especially true for kids, who always wait until the last minute to get things done. They will stall to get homework done, even in the first week of school.

That is why you, as a parent, need to enforce a solid routine for them before it starts. Try to enforce some kind of routine that won’t make homework an uphill battle.

This will benefit them, as Internet-based platforms like video games and social media will provide less of a distraction and allow them to focus more on homework.

Some Tips to Speed up the Process:

Get them to stay in ‘school mode’ at home. While it’s fresh in their mind, encourage your kids to do their work from school. That way, they won’t be waiting until the last minute, and it will be easier to get the work done.
Develop an Incentive System. You develop good homework habits when they get something out of it. For most kids, they do it because they have to do it, not because they want to do it. Give them a reason to do that includes more than just an ‘A’ on their paper. One example could be a higher allowance.
Get an app to help you out! Yes, there are apps out there that can help you monitor your child’s online usage and maintain a controlled digital lifestyle for them. (You could even use it for yourself.)

Conclusion

Whether your child is just starting their schoolyear again or it is in the middle of the term, having your child get the right mindset is probably the most important thing in their academic success.

Hopefully, you learned that consistency is key. Set up the rules before (or as soon as) school starts so that your kids can perform at their very best.

Have any other advice? Let us know!

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