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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is very much kid dependent and depends on their sleep needs and wake up time. I’ve realized my now 8 year old’s circadian rhythm is set in stone, and no amount of routines or effort can make her fall asleep earlier than her body wants to. She falls asleep at 8:45 for half of the year, then switches to 9:45 with spring daylight savings. Then back to 8:45 after daylight savings in the fall. She wakes up on her own and isn’t tired or cranky, so I don’t fight it anymore and let her go to bed late this time of year.

So on late activity nights, she gets home from school at 3:30, eats an early dinner, gets home from the activity by 7:45, has a snack and shower, and is in bed around 8:30 and lights out and instantly asleep by 9:45. Wakes up sometime between 6:30-7:30 and is out of the door for school by 8:30. That’s been her schedule for the last year or two, despite me trying to force an earlier bedtime when she was a year or two younger.

That works for her now, but that doesn’t mean it works for every kid at every age. If your kid is melting down before bedtime, has to be woken up every morning, or doesn’t have enough energy to get through the day, then they need more sleep.

The bigger issue with late activities to me is the lack of family meals when practice is right in the middle of dinner time. Eating together is important for us, so that’s actually what makes us restrict the number of weeknight activities.[/quote]

+1 on the sleep needs and wakeup time and it being very kid dependent. Some kids won't wake up later no matter how late you keep them up. My nephew is in college and all through high school never really slept in like a typical teen - in elementary he was usually up before 6. 2 of my 3 kids are early risers, but thankfully not that early. My youngest has a later rhythm and always has, but because of siblings maybe not as late as they naturally would.

As far as eating together and weeknight activities, our kids are now old enough that we can do the "dinner at 4:30 or 9" thing that many sports families have to do.[/quote]

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