waking up in the morning for school? As a former teacher, I often heard of parents waking their kids up earlier and earlier so that they "practice" the morning routine before school is actually in session.

By Trina~moderator on Sunday, July 31, 2005 - 07:58 pm:

About 1 or 2 weeks before school begins we gradually fall into the school schedule. It makes things so much easier once school starts!

By Debbie on Sunday, July 31, 2005 - 08:02 pm:

This week we will start putting our dks to bed earlier. Since summer vacation started, they have been going to bed around 9:30 and then sleeping until about 8:30. This week we are putting them to bed at 9:00, then next week 8:30 and then the following week 8:00, which is their bedtime during school.

By Tink on Sunday, July 31, 2005 - 08:04 pm:

Definitely. My dks are in school for 3 months and then off for a month and the last week of break time is always done on school schedules with regular bedtimes, scheduled "brain work" time in the mornings and getting up earlier and getting dressed, etc right after waking. It makes our first week so much easier. The kids are used to getting up and at 'em, used to having a homework hour, used to going to sleep, even if it is light outside.

By Kaye on Sunday, July 31, 2005 - 09:31 pm:

Yep we do too! During the summer, bedtime routine is pretty laid back, usually we holler upstairs and say "okay, enough, go to bed" LOL. But starting tomorrow night we go back to routines, we will start the whole bath/shower thing before bed, one of us actually seeing them to bed etc. However we will do that at 9:30 this week, then 9:15 the next week and then normal school time is 9. Also I started last week having them do school, writing something each day, to work on their hands not being so tired, math facts and reading something that wasn't their choice. My 6th grader is reading roll of thunder, my 4th grader dr mr henshaw and my little guy, 2nd is doing dolch word lists I have on index cards. As for getting dressed, we don't work on that so much. The big change is in the summer I don't make them bathe daily, but as needed, which has been twice a day some days, or every other day depending on what we have done. Also they can take their baths/showers in the am or pm, their choice. But during school it has to be at night because we would never make it on time if they did it in the am.

By Reds9298 on Sunday, July 31, 2005 - 10:47 pm:

My parents always made us practice a couple of weeks before school started, too.

By Andi on Sunday, July 31, 2005 - 11:24 pm:

Yes, I will do that with DS towards the end of next month to get him ready for school.

By Dana on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 06:44 am:

I did that the last 2 years, but saw no difference during first week of school. So we have been enjoying our extra sleep time each morning and I plan to continue until the first day, which is Wed of this week. I have been more dilligent (sp?) about heading to bed earlier, just to get used to the routine of getting things done between dinner and bed. That is for my benefit more than DD's. School starts SO early in the morning for us, that going to bed early will come naturally, just because she will be so tired. Can't wait for school to start, but I am not looking forward to the 5:30am wake-up EVERY WEEK DAY until next May.

By Eve on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 07:45 am:

Yes! I really need to get my DD back into her schedule. She is NOT a morning person and could sleep until noon if I let her! LOL!

By Colette on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 08:46 am:

Yes, but I only start the kids a few days before school starts.

By Bellajoe on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 09:07 am:

I will start putting them to bed at 8:30 2 weeks before school and then 8:00 the week before school. They have no problem waking up early, so we don't have to practice that!

By Happynerdmom on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 10:18 am:

Ditto Colette.

By Vicki on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 10:23 am:

We start about a week before school starts. We go to bed at school days bed time and get up and dressed and eat and all of that before bus time! We have to start early or we would be like zombies the first week of school. I don't think dd saw bedtime this summer before 10pm!! LOL School day bed time is 8:30 and this year since she will be at the middle school, she is going to have to get up about 6am! Yikes, that is going to be hard!!

By Mommmie on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 12:48 pm:

I send my son to residential camp the week before school starts and he gets retrained there. I can tell a difference bec the rest of the summer he stays up every night until midnight, give or take a bit. At camp, it's lights out at 10:00 and they've worn him out so much all day he just falls into bed. He gets home Saturday and school starts two days later.

By Jann on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 04:09 pm:

Nope, found it didn't really make that much difference. My kids always start back midweek, so we just suck it up those first few days, and by the first Monday, they are almost back in the swing.