Back to School Bedtime Routines

With long summer evenings, holidays, and extra free time, your kids have likely been staying up later than usual. Whether they’re toddlers or teens, that can make early school mornings tough. Re-establishing a consistent bedtime routine before the new term starts will help them get better sleep and ease the transition from the summer holidays back to school life.

Establishing consistent bedtimes and wake-up times before school starts helps reset your child’s internal body clock after the summer holidays. It can ease morning stress for you and support better focus, creativity, and academic performance for your little one.

How much sleep we need varies depending on age, activity level, and individual needs. But here are some general guidelines:

• Young children (ages 3–5): 10–13 hours of sleep
• School-age children (ages 6–12): 9–12 hours of sleep
• Teenagers (ages 13–18): 8–10 hours of sleep

Use our Sleep Calculator to find the perfect bedtime for your child, ensuring they get the rest they need to wake up happy and energised.

Let’s explore some simple ways to help your children wind down at bedtime and prepare for their next big school adventure.

About 1–2 weeks before school starts, gradually move bedtime earlier by 15–30 minutes every few nights. This gentle adjustment helps your kids ease back into their school-night routine and makes the first school night less stressful.

In the run-up to school, avoid letting your child nap late in the day. Limit naps to 20-30 minutes in the morning or early afternoon if they do. Long or late afternoon rests can delay bedtime and make falling asleep harder.

For more advice, check out: The Ultimate Guide to Daytime Napping.

Chocolate, sweets, and fizzy drinks can all impact the quality and length of sleep. While it’s fine to enjoy these earlier in the day, the sugar, and especially the caffeine in fizzy drinks, can stay in their system for hours, making it harder to fall asleep if consumed in the evening.

Sending your child to bed hungry can disturb their sleep. If they’re feeling peckish, why not make a small, healthy snack such as fruit or cheese and crackers? These foods help you sleep, promoting feelings of relaxation, and they’re easy on the stomach.

Taking time to relax can help both you and your child wind down and fall asleep more easily. A warm bath or shower, brushing teeth, putting on cosy PJs, or reading a bedtime story are all great ways to signal that it’s time for sleep.

Before bed, switch off electronics such as tablets, TVs, video games, or even your mobile phone. The blue light from screens can disrupt melatonin, the sleep hormone, making it harder to fall asleep. Instead, encourage calming play, colouring, or reading together.

Ensure bedrooms are cool, dark and quiet. Cooler temperatures make it easier to settle down and get cosy. Blackout curtains can help make the room darker if your child goes to bed while it’s still light out. A fan or white noise machine can drown out noise from the outside world.

On school nights, start your routine earlier. This helps establish a stress-free evening. Try having dinner early so you have more time to wind down and go to bed early. The calmer your kids feel before bedtime, the sooner they’ll start to feel sleepy.

When the term starts, pack school bags, lay out uniforms, and prepare breakfast and lunch the night before. This helps everyone enjoy a calm, relaxed night’s sleep and cuts down on the morning rush.

According to The Sleep Foundation, parents who set a regular bedtime schedule for their children are more likely to get sufficient sleep. So, make sure to follow the same routine each day.

On weekends, you could let your little one stay up an extra 1-2 hours, but on Sundays, roll back to an earlier bedtime to prepare them for the week ahead.

For young children, winding down after the summer holidays and preparing for the first day back at school or nursery can be challenging (especially putting away their favourite toys!). Here are some tips to help your little ones:

Making sure they also have a comfortable kids’ bed is key to a good night’s sleep. Proper support for your little one’s growing body helps prevent night-time wake-ups and ensures they wake up feeling refreshed in the morning.

Teenagers naturally tend to stay up later, which can make school mornings tougher. These tips can help them ease into a healthier sleep rhythm:

• Ask them to prepare their clothes and school bag the night before.
• Encourage earlier bedtimes.
• Promote wind-down time with calming activities such as a warm shower or journaling.
• Make sure they limit blue light from screens at least an hour before bed, and remove devices from their bedrooms to prevent late-night scrolling.
• Inspire reading, guided breathing or listening to calming sounds to help reduce stimulation before bed.

School bedtime plans help build consistent sleep habits and regulate circadian rhythms in your children and yourself. They make it easier to sleep at night and make mornings less stressful, supporting smoother school days for the whole family. Getting everyone on the same page can create family bonding time, making bedtime feel like a positive ritual rather than a chore.

A consistent bedtime routine does more than improve sleep and energised starts, though – it supports emotional balance and better school performance. By starting early, creating a calm wind-down ritual, and staying consistent, your child will be more rested, focused, and ready for the school year, while you enjoy more peaceful evenings, too.