If you have a child who is misbehaving, you might want to hold off on calling the teacher and instead take a look at your son’s or daughter’s schedule.
The beginning of the school year can bring plenty of opportunities to throw off your child’s schedule ““ a later-than-expected visit at a friend’s house, for instance, or an extracurricular activity that runs over. While it’s not the end of the world to get off track once in awhile, a consistent lack of a schedule can lead to big problems.
A 2013 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Pediatrics journal found that kids with irregular sleep are more likely to have lower scores on tests that measure their ability to problem solve. They’re also more likely to have higher rates of hyperactivity, emotional difficulties and problems dealing with peers.
Researchers found that the effects of poor sleep increase as kids age, but that the effects are reversible. Once children in the study began going to sleep at a regular time each night, their behavior improved.
That should be parents’ biggest motivator, said licensed psychologist Suzanne Collins, who works with children and families at Little Psychological Services in Florence.
“Your kids will function much better if you keep a schedule,” she said.
Although setting a routine and sticking to it can be hard, you will see a difference, Collins said: kids will be less anxious if they’re typically anxious, less tired if they’re typically tired and their behavioral issues will lessen.
“Kids do really, really well with schedules,” she said.
And the schedule doesn’t have to be outrageously rigid either.
To start, make a commitment to try out a routine for a month to six weeks. Set a basic outline for coming home, doing homework, having dinner and going to bed. If you have two kids who have different bedtimes ““ such as one who’s older and one who’s younger ““ it may mean sharing parenting duties.
“If you have an older child who has an extracurricular activity that runs into a younger child’s bedtime, you’ll probably have to split up,” Collins said. “It can be very hard, but you will see a change in your child’s behavior.”
