Lesson

How to Establish Healthy Sleep Habits For Kids

Examine sleep habits with kids to explore how energy levels are connected to sleep.

Objectives

  • Explain that sleep gives your body energy to make healthy choices.

Info to Know

Recharge is your energy. It influences the choices you make. fit presents different ways to recharge and get energy: 

  • Relax, without a screen, throughout the day. 
  • Get enough sleep. Below are the minimum and maximum hours of sleep for different age groups as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics:
    • Ages 4-12 months: 12-16 hours (including naps)
    • Ages 1-2 years: 11-14 hours (including naps)
    • Ages 3-5 years: 10-13 hours (including naps)
    • Age 6-12 years: 9-12 hours
    • Age 13-18 years: 8-10 hours

This unit introduces students to the importance of getting enough sleep. They will learn about how to establish or improve their bedtime routines and how to create their own sleep zone—an environment conducive to sleep.

Set The Stage

Ask kids to turn and talk to a partner about how they feel when they wake up in the morning. Do they want to keep sleeping? Are they ready for the day? At what point during the day do they notice themselves feeling tired?

To use this with your students click here.

Captivate

Recharging Energy Levels

Ask students to show their energy level by either sitting on the floor (low), standing (in the middle), or standing with their hands in the air (fully recharged) as depicted on the slideshow.

Keep a count of the students in each energy level category to compare with Lesson 5 when they repeat the activity.

Educate

Importance of Sleep

Explain that getting enough sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Not enough sleep means you are likely to:

  • Find it difficult to think and remember things.
  • Not have enough energy to move throughout your day.
  • Make unhealthy food choices.

Check for understanding: Your body and brain need _ _ _ _ _  to help make healthy choices throughout the day.

Activate

Establish Healthy Sleep Habits

Students are to write down the time they go to bed tonight, then write down the time they wake up tomorrow morning on a piece of paper. Bring the paper to school tomorrow.

They will then use the Sleep Calculator printable to discover how many hours they slept.

Close the Lesson

Today we examined our sleep habits. Next, we will learn how many hours of sleep our bodies need.

Grade: K-2

Time: 20 Minutes

What You'll Need

Resources

Materials
  • Slideshow
  • Markers
  • Poster Board or White Board

Health Education Standards

  • Standard 1: Core Concepts–Get an appropriate amount of sleep and rest.
  • Standard 2: Analyze Influences
  • Standard 4: Interpersonal Communication
  • Standard 5: Decision-Making

Social and Emotional Learning Competencies

  • Self-Awareness
  • Self-Management
  • Responsible Decision-Making

Extend the Lesson

View the fit Units and Lessons Scope and Sequence Chart.

Related Content

Food, Mood, Move, Recharge

Here's How Healthy Choices Lead to More Healthy Choices

Grades 3-5

Show kids how making healthy choices can cause a chain reaction of feeling good and making more healthy choices.

Start Lesson
Food, Mood, Move, Recharge

Helping Kids Make Choices

Grades 3-5

We make choices all day long. Let’s help kids identify times during the day when they make choices and practice giving reasons why they made certain choices.

Start Lesson
Food, Mood, Move, Recharge

fit Choices for Healthy Kids

Grades 3-5

Help kids think more carefully about responsible decision-making. Introduce the idea of making a choice because it's good for your body and brain.

Start Lesson
Food, Mood, Move, Recharge

Four Types of Healthy Choices for Kids

Grades 3-5

Position kids to make better choices by teaching them about the benefits of resting, having a positive mindset, eating healthy foods, and engaging in physical activity.

Start Lesson
Food, Mood, Move, Recharge

What Influences Choices?

Grades 3-5

Help kids understand that self-awareness can help them to make healthy choices.

Start Lesson
Recharge

How Kids Can Recharge

Grades K-2

Show kids where the body’s energy comes from and how important sleep and relaxation are for being active.

Start Lesson