Return to school Support for Parents and Carers

Going back to school will be a big change in routine for lots of children. Your child may be going to bed later and getting up later as well. Your child may be spending much more time than usual on a phone or playing computer games.

If you think the return to school might be difficult for your child read on…

Routine

It will be really helpful for them to start to get back into more of a school routine a few weeks before the return. Having structure and routine helps children to feel safe and give a sense of ‘normal’.

Get enough sleep

The general guide is toddlers need around 12 hours of sleep a night; children aged three to six – 10-12 hours and seven-twelve years olds – 10-11 hours.

Sleep problems have increased in many children over the last year. Lack of exercise and mental stimulation alongside worries that children have, disrupt their usual sleep patterns in the same way as it affects us as adults.

Set up a bedtime routine

A consistent bedtime routine lets your child’s body and mind know that it’s time to settle down and prepare for sleep. The actual routine can be specific to your child, but it should last around 20 minutes and consist of three to four quiet, soothing activities such as putting on PJs, brushing teeth, a warm bath, and reading. Set a bedtime and stick to it.

Screens

Turn off screens at least an hour before bed and set a limit on the amount of screen time during the day. Mobile devices, TVs, and tablets emit a type of blue light that suppresses melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep.

Exercise

Children need at least an hour of exercise each day but avoid vigorous exercise a couple of hours before bedtime.

Avoid Scary or Violent Content

Feeling scared or worried is a common reason kids can’t sleep. Scary or violent movies, TV, video games, and even books in the evening contribute to this.

Avoid Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant that can both make it harder to fall asleep and reduce the quality of sleep. Pop, coffee, energy drinks and chocolate all contain caffeine.

Don’t let pets sleep in the bedroom

The noises and movements from furry friends disturb sleep.

Making a Sleepy Bedroom

These tips can help you create the perfect sleep setup for your child:

Room Temperature: The body and brain both cool down in preparation for sleep, and this can be disrupted by a stuffy bedroom. To avoid this, try to keep the thermostat around 65 degrees.
Noise: Research suggests that even mild sound disturbances can affect the quality of sleep, even if the sleeper never awakens. Consider noise-blocking curtains to cut down on street noise. You can also use a fan or white noise machine to drown out unpredictable or distracting sounds.
Light Level: Start dimming indoor lights as bedtime approaches, and keep your child’s bedroom as dark as possible. This promotes healthy levels of melatonin and supports your child’s biological clock. If your child is afraid of the dark, a small nightlight is okay.
Soothing smells: Calming scents like lavender can have mild sedative effects. You might try using essential oils, a room diffuser, or dried potpourri sachet to provide a soothing, sleep-inducing smell.
Some children benefit from a weighted blanket on their bed.

Talk about feelings

Your child may have many different feelings about going back, including anxiety, excitement, sadness. Help them to understand that these feelings are very normal.

Some children may experience separation anxiety from their parent/carer after this extended time together. They are leaving a familiar environment and back to a less predictable and more socially challenging one.

If children haven’t had any contact with their friends for a while they may be excited to see them again or they might feel nervous. Encourage your child to connect with their friends before they return.

Anxiety is a bodily warning signal in response to a real or perceived threat. This is a normal response and can be helpful in small amounts as it can increase concentration and performance. However, if anxiety is high and constant, it can result in an inability to cope with stress both physically and emotionally which can manifest in symptoms such as tummy aches, headaches, lack of sleep, tearful/depression, feeling overwhelmed or aggressive. When supporting anxiety, it is important to emphasise a feeling of safety for your child, as they will be moving from previous rules such as ‘stay home’, ‘socially distance’ and ‘wash your hands’, to similar but different rules in school. This may lead to worries that they, or family members will contract the virus, or changes to behaviours such as over-washing their hands/cleaning or constantly seeking reassurance. Talk to them in terms of ‘new’ safety rules and what school is doing to keep them safe, whilst acknowledging their worries and giving them time and space to talk them through.

To help children who may be struggling with anxious feelings:

Regulate the emotion by encouraging deep breathing to slow the body and distract negative thoughts
Share and name feelings/thoughts and open communication and provide information about emotion. You can ask questions about anxiety like this; – What would you call it? – What does it say to you? – How does it get in the way? – Who is in charge, you or that? – Who and what are its enemies?
List negative thoughts and come up with alternative more resilient ones, for example;

I can’t do it ⇾ I can’t do it yet / I can do hard things

It is too scary ⇾ I am O.K. / people can help me…one step at a time.

I am useless at ____ ⇾I am not expected to know everything / I can ask for help.

Exercise and physical activity helps reduce anxiety – walking, running, yoga etc.
Write in a Journal: Encourage your child to get their anxious thoughts out of their head and onto paper. It can also help for them to write about the good things that happened in the day. Focusing on the positive will help children feel more secure.
Mindfulness Exercises: Mindfulness exercises like meditation are proven to calm the nervous system and decrease stress hormones. There are many child-friendly meditations that parents and children can do together. These often consist of simple breathing techniques, body awareness, or guided imagery. Look to books, CDs, and even smartphone apps for ideas.
Create a Worry Time: It’s okay to discuss worries, just not at bedtime. Set aside a specific time during the day for your children to discuss their concerns and how to cope with them. This can free children of the need to dwell on worries before bed.

If you have concerns about your child or feel you may need further support please contact their class teacher or myself before they return to school and notify school of any significant family events during lockdown such as illness, loss or changes.

Andrea Preece

SENDCo

KS1 Leader

andreapreece@gatedu.org