Wellbeing
Sleep and Sleep Cycles
Why is sleep important?
Sleep restores children physically. It helps them learn and remember things, and it boosts immunity. And sleep helps children grow. For example, children’s bodies produce growth hormone when they’re asleep. Children of all ages need to get enough sleep so they can play, learn and concentrate during the day.
School-age children: when and how much they sleep
Children aged 5-11 years need 9-11 hours of sleep a night.
Children over 5 years of age rarely nap during the day. If your child often needs daytime naps, it’s good to check they’re getting enough sleep overnight. See your GP if you have concerns. Primary school-age children are usually tired after school and might look forward to bedtime from about 7.30 pm.
Teenagers: when and how much they sleep
Children entering puberty generally need about 8-10 hours of sleep a night.
Changes to the circadian rhythm during adolescence mean it’s normal for teenagers to want to go to bed later at night – often around 11 pm or later – then get up later in the morning. Good daytime habits and sleep environment habits can help teenagers get enough sleep.
Over 90% of adolescent children don’t get the recommended amount of sleep on school nights. Getting enough good-quality sleep is important during this period, because sleep is vital for thinking, learning and concentration skills. Lack of sleep in these years has also been linked to mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.
To read more from Raising Children Network , click HERE
Meaningful May
Upcoming Parent Information Sessions
Managing Challenging Behaviours
June 11th, 7-8.30pm, online
Children’s behaviour can be challenging! This can come in many forms - talking back, complying with expectations, fighting with siblings and more. Parents and carers need a range of skills to understand and manage challenging behaviour and guide their children towards positive cooperation. This session will explore what might underlie children’s challenging behaviour and how parents and carers can develop effective and proactive approaches to family discipline.
Be ahead of the game: talking to young people about gaming
May 14th, 7.30-8.45pm, online
Join this free information session to understand how the blurred line between gambling and gaming is placing young people at risk of harm. Discover the gambling-like tactics and features used by the designers of many popular online games played by young people and discover how parents and carers can help to keep them safe. Children and young people are being exposed to gambling through gaming. This is an important presentation for parents of primary and secondary school aged children.
Marlborough's Wellbeing Hub
Please bookmark our Wellbeing Hub for many helpful resources, links and supports, in particular our Parents/Carers resource page.
https://wellbeing.marlboroughps.vic.edu.au
You will also find a link to the current Parentzone newsletter, with details of a variety of parenting programs on offer for Term 2.
Jenelle Seregin
Wellbeing Leader