🌙night📴screens off🔌charge it away📖quiet book😴sleep
Screens off early helps.
The big ideaBright, busy screens make sleep harder. Screens off early helps.
How it works
Your body has a clock inside it. Light tells that clock the time: bright light says it is day, and dim light at night says it is time to sleep.
But a bright screen near your face can say it is still day, and games and videos keep your mind busy.
While you sleep, your body grows, and sleep helps you remember what you learned. Kids your age need lots of sleep, more than grown-ups do.
Screens are not bad. The trick is switching off early. Many families switch screens off half an hour before bed, or longer.
A calm night routine.Sleep, or awake.
Example 1: Kit's night one
Kit said: just one more level, and it turned into two, then three.
Kit took the tablet to bed, the bright screen glowed, and a buzz woke Kit just as sleep came.
Kit could not fall asleep, with the level still playing behind closed eyes.
Example 2: Kit's tired day
At school Kit yawned and said two and two make five.
A tired brain makes mistakes.
Kit snapped at Dani, and felt sorry straight away.
Night one to the next day.
Example 3: Kit's night two
Kit told Dad about the tired day, and Dad listened. Kit was not in trouble at all.
The tablet charged in the hall, and screens went off early.
Kit brushed teeth, Dad read a quiet story, and the light went out. In the morning Kit woke up before the alarm.
Words to know
body clock
The clock inside your body. Light tells it the time.
screens off
Switching screens off a good while before bed.
night routine
The calm steps you do before sleep, in the same order.
Watch out
Just one more level can turn into two or three, so plan the stop before you start.
A device buzzing by your pillow can wake you up in the night.
Screens off before bed helps kids of every age, and grown-ups too.
If it is hard to put a screen away, that is okay. Nobody is in trouble, and a grown-up can help you make a plan.
Try it
What does bright light tell your body clock?
Where should a tablet sleep at night?
Is a fast game in bed a good way to get ready for sleep?
Name two things in a calm night routine.
Are screens bad and never okay?
Answers: 1. That it is daytime · 2. Charging in the hall · 3. No · 4. Any two: screens off, charge it away, brush teeth, read a book, lights out · 5. No
Try at homePlan a screens-off time with a grown-up. Pick a spot outside your bedroom where devices charge.
For grown-upsPlan a screens-off time and a charging spot outside the bedroom together, and keep it as a family habit. The note says only what the episode says about sleep.
Open these notes on screenScan the code, or go to tutorpip.com.