By Kristin Backert

The alarm rings. Once. Twice. Three times. You go into your child’s room and discover he’s still sleeping. You tell him to get out of bed, and he mumbles that he will in a minute. When you return 30 minutes later, he’s still snoozing away but bolts up in a panic when you inform him that the bus is leaving in five minutes.

Sound familiar?

If your child is struggling to get out of bed when the alarm rings, there are several things you can do to help him feel more in control. First, establish a routine. While it’s difficult to predict the amount of homework a student gets on a given night, aim to have a “light’s out” time so that he knows it’s time to unwind and go to sleep at a reasonable time. If your child struggles to stick to this light’s out time at first, that’s okay! It’ll take time to adjust, so in the meantime, try to get him into bed within a half hour of the light’s out time. By doing so, this will increase his chances of not only getting enough sleep, but feeling rested enough to wake up in the morning with no fuss. This routine can encompass other elements as well, such as picking out an outfit the night before and placing a packed backpack near the front door to reduce stress in the morning.

Another method your child can try is to manage his academics effectively. Part of the reason that students stay up so late is they misjudge how long an assignment will take them, or they lose focus. Have your child set a timer for 25 minutes; he must work continuously during this time, and when the 25 minutes are up, your child earns a 5-minute break. He then returns for another 25-minute block of work, and so on and so forth. By scheduling blocks of work and breaks, your child will be able to remain more focused and complete his work efficiently. It’s also helpful to teach your child how to gauge how long he believes an assignment will take him so he can judge how many 25-minute blocks he should devote to it and how he should prioritize his assignments. 

School mornings have a bad rap, but they don’t have to if you plan accordingly! If your child goes to sleep at about the same time every night and learns to manage his time while attending to his homework, waking up in the morning and heading off to school will be a breeze.