2020 has been a year of stressful events for everyone, including your children. While they may not have experienced a layoff or don’t understand that necessities are becoming slim due to the grocery stores being out of stock, your child is probably going through a difficult time as well. They got removed from their friends at their private schools in Pitt County NC and in sports, playdates and birthday parties were canceled, and they simply don’t understand isolation as well as adults do. In these stressful days, adults lay restless at night, tossing and turning with stress racking their brain, but children can do the same. The administrators and staff at Walton Academy are here to explain how you as the parent can help your children overcome the obstacle of sleep deprivation due to stress.

• Talk to your child about how they are feeling or what is concerning them. When doing this, asking open-ended questions is beneficial to get them to answer with more than just one word or a sentence. Acknowledge their feelings, and reassure them that everything will be okay.
• Establish a routine for your child to stick to nightly. Having consistency in a time of question and change can really benefit a stressed child in feeling secure. In this routine you can include a specific time that electronics are turned off, escaping to their bedroom or a quiet area to wind down, and write out a detailed schedule for each step of preparing for bedtime.
• Keep areas clean of toys, clothes, and other clutter that may not typically be in your home. If your office space has been moved to your kitchen table, keeping papers and files neatly organized, or placing them in a box at the end of the day can even keep a space less cluttered, which in return can reduce levels of stress. This also goes for their online classroom area. Any homework, worksheets, or books from Walton Academy, one of Greenville’s premier private schools in Pitt County NC that could produce feelings of stress should be put away after each school day. While we love learning, we understand some children don’t.
• Think of ways to exert energy from your children. Playing sports in the backyard, watching a children’s exercise video, or creating a homemade obstacle course are all great ways to get some of that built-up energy out of your children to help them fall asleep faster and easier at night.

A good, individualized bedtime routine for each of the children in your house takes time to establish. Once you have figured out what works best for each child, make sure you stick to it. Consistency is key, even on the weekends, and when away on vacation. Sticking as close to your bedtime routine as possible will help your child to set their internal body clock and eventually reduce stress.

Walton Academy K-5 Private Schools in Pitt County NC

Walton Academy K-5 private schools in Pitt County NC firmly believes that an environment with minimal distractions is key to student success. To achieve an optimal learning environment and experience, we require each child to undergo our enrollment screening process where students are observed and assessed academically, behaviorally, and socially. Our enrollment screening ensures that our classroom environment remains focused and that each student can excel and reach their full potential. Contact us today to learn more!