Benefits of getting up early

Present day children are highly stressed.  They face pressure in their day to day activities right from the day they go to school.  The day starts with getting up late and rushing to get ready for school, skipping their morning duties including breakfast, many a times. This is a common phenomenon today. But, it is a matter of serious concern which impacts the child’s physical and mental health.  This can be overcome by getting up early in the morning.  This sounds simple but has a lot of implications on a child's daily routine.

Ideal time to wake up

Early morning 4 am is the right time to wake up.  Children should be encouraged to wake up by 5 or 5.30 am, at least 2-3 hours earlier than their school bus timings.

Benefits of early rising

There are multiple benefits in getting up early. The following are some of them.

1. They can do exercise or a light warm up which makes them fresh for the day ahead. - There is a misconception that exercise is meant for people above 40.  Even children need to do physical exercises. They also need to bend and stretch their body to keep it flexible.  Not many schools concentrate on physical exercise or sports.  Hence, it is all the more important to encourage them to do alight warm up in the morning.
2. They have time to finish their morning duties leisurely. - Children should be trained to complete their routine morning duties before they leave for school.
3. They can plan for the day’s work. - Children can plan their study by themselves given the sufficient time.  This makes them organised.
4. They can help themselves by arranging their things to get ready for school. - Children get time to arrange their school bag without forgetting anything, dress up and organise their things. They can also help their parents by filling water bottles, packing snacks and lunch, if required. It inculcates a sense of responsibility in them.
5. They can have a good and wholesome breakfast. - Many children have the habit of drinking a glass of milk for breakfast and rush to school, for want of time.   The breakfast should be wholesome with a cereal, pulses combined with nuts or fruits.  This gives them the required energy to be active for the whole day.
6. It makes them stress free. - They have ample time to finish all their work on time. This keeps them cool without tension.  They are free to think and do their work with perfection.

Children must be habituated to get up early from their young age.  It is also equally important that they have sufficient sleep.  So they must go to bed early the previous night. Parents should take effort in shutting down their TV or computer or mobiles by 8 pm so as to make the children go to bed, prepare them to sleep by telling stories and make them doze off on or before 9 pm.  This will surely make a difference in the child’s behaviour.  S/he will have the confidence to do things properly at the right time.

Source - Ms Devika, Homemaker, Hyderabad