Bedtime is usually the last thing kids want to think about... "But I'm not tired!" Sound familiar? Motivating kids to get to bed starts with talking about what matters to them - doing well in school, activities, sports, creative hobbies... all things that they need sleep to do well!
The best enforcement is self-enforcement...
We can talk about why it is important to get sleep all day (and night), but what matters most is getting students motivated to take care of their health. Good sleep affects your mind and body - your thinking, memory, emotions, physical appearance, and internal health. Learning good sleep habits can be a valuable part of producing capable, mature, healthy human beings.
“If one goal of education of education is to produce people who are capable of educating themselves, then students must learn to manage their own lives, set their own goals, and provide their own reinforcement.” (Woolfolk, 2019, p. 431)
Reflecting on personal motivations...
Let's think about... What motivates you? What motivates students? Invite your students to discuss which of the health factors and risks below really motivates them (or scares them) the most. Then encourage them to do deeper research on how one of these topics relates to sleep, or have them create a plan to establish healthy sleep habits and monitor themselves.
Health Affects of Lack of Sleep:
Memory Problems
Attention Deficit
Fatigue
Slow Reaction Time
Illness
Clumsiness/Loss of Coordination
Depression
Lower Testosterone for Boys
Anxiety
Overeating/Sugar and Carb Cravings
Obesity
Diabetes
Inflammation
High Blood Pressure
Hallucinations
Skin Dehydration/Deterioration (Aging)
Cancer
Alzheimer's Disease
Time for Goal Setting...
Once students understand the importance of sleep, making plans to maintain good sleep habits becomes more meaningful. You can help students set goals for sleep and monitor how they are doing: use goal framing to get students personally connected to the aspects of their health and functioning which they value most, and get more buy-in to the importance of a sleep plan by having students research and decide on their own positive bedtime habits (Woolfolk, 2019, pp. 473-474).
References:
Aguirre, C. (2015). What would happen if you didn't sleep? TED-Ed. Retrieved from https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-would-happen-if-you-didn-t-sleep-claudia-aguirre#review.
Tech Insider. (2017). How to tell if you're sleep deprived. YouTube. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/0HxvEcvfbho.
Woolfolk, A. (2019). Educational Psychology (14th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
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