Welcome to the new parents' page which will be where articles and information of interest related to raising children, education and research will be shared each month. If there is a topic you'd particularly like to see covered, please let us know.

SLEEP

While we know sleep is essential for good health, research shows that many children and young people are not getting enough sleep on school nights. This can affect thinking, concentration, memory, reaction times and mood.

Research shows about 12% of primary school-aged children, a quarter of 12- to 15-year-olds and half of 16- to 17-year-olds don’t get enough sleep on school nights. The recommended amount of time to sleep for primary school-aged children is 9 to 11 hours. For teenagers, it’s 8 to 10 hours.

Signs that your child is not getting enough sleep can include:

· low mood and irritability during social interactions

· reluctance or arguing about getting off devices and going to bed

· falling asleep during the day

· difficulties waking up for school and sleeping in late on weekends to catch up

· changes to communicating or interacting at home.

You can help your child to improve their sleep by:

· establishing a regular sleep pattern and consistent bedtime routine

· supporting them to avoid using electronic devices such as smartphones before going to bed and in bed

· encouraging your child to exercise and spend time outside in daylight, steering clear of vigorous activity in the hour before sleep

· encouraging them to wind down and relax before going to bed.

If your child is still having trouble sleeping, has persistent problems with low mood, excessive daytime sleepiness, restlessness in bed, severe snoring or waking unrefreshed, despite getting adequate length sleep, they should see a doctor.

For more information on sleep health, you can refer to:

· Sleep tips for children and Facts about sleep for parents and school staff (from the Sleep Health Foundation)

· Why sleep is so important (from the Kids Helpline)

· Sleep explained (from the Better Health Channel).

EMOTIONAL FRAGILITY

An article from Wilson McCaskill (Play is the Way founder)

The crucial role that schools play in the socialising of children has been startlingly apparent since COVID restrictions ceased across the country and school once again became a regular and dependable part of daily life. Few teachers would say that behaviour improved while students spent extended periods of time away from school.

In the many games sessions we facilitated in various schools this year, we noticed a significant increase in emotional fragility, undue sensitivity and a propensity to be offended without much cause, as well as a willingness to see malice in the words and actions of others when none was intended. Additionally, there's been a marked loss of a sense of humour and quickness to tears when laughter would have been the expected and better alternative.

During these sessions, I placed a copy of the Life Raft posters on the ground and asked students to gather around the concept they believed was their strength and the one they role modelled on a daily basis. The two concepts that most gathered around were the red poster (Pursue Your Personal Best) and the green poster (Be Brave – Participate To Progress).

Interestingly, when I asked those who had gathered around the red poster to really think about whether or not they pursued their personal best, no matter who they worked with, significant numbers moved away from the red poster with most deciding to gather around the green poster instead.

When asked to gather around the poster they considered to be their weakness most students gathered around the blue poster (Have Reasons For The Things You Say And Do) with the greatest number gathering around the orange poster (The Golden Rule - Treat Others As You Would Like Them To Treat You).

That so many children found themselves lacking in the daily expression of the Golden Rule surely points to the enormous challenge of living to the demands of this rule and the very real need to ensure it stays at the forefront of behavioural guidance. It’s called the Golden Rule for a reason and we forget its vital significance to humanity at our peril.

Let's all work together to keep this rule as a driver for our interactions with others.

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