School-age Children and Sleep

School-aged children still need somewhere between 9 and 12 hours of sleep at night. At this age, kids usually start a trend toward becoming more and more sleep deprived. As the parents, you will need to help figure out how much sleep your child needs. Your child is getting the right amount of sleep if he:

In other words, if your child can go to bed, fall asleep easily, wake up easily, and not be tired during the day, then he is getting enough sleep.

Is your child complaining about a bedtime that’s earlier than his friends’ bedtimes, and saying that everyone else gets to stay up later? Let him know that every child is different and that this is his bedtime. Tell your child that you’re keeping his bedtime at the right time for him because it’s healthy. He’ll feel better during the day if he sleeps well at night.

Source: www.med.umich.edu