Parents encouraged to focus on sleep, routines, and responsibility for a smoother back-to-school transition

As the new school year approaches, experts highlight the importance of gradually shifting children’s sleep, meal, and device routines to ensure a stress-free return to the classroom, emphasising the role of family reintroductions of responsibility and activity over the final summer weeks.

As the new school year approaches, parents are often focused on notebooks, uniforms and bags. But according to life coach Sherine Mahmoud, the bigger challenge may be the summer habits children have picked up along the way: late nights, irregular meals, too much time on screens and a looser sense of daily responsibility.

Experts cited by Children’s Dartmouth Health and other child-wellbeing specialists say that a smoother return to term time usually starts well before the first school bell. Rather than trying to overhaul everything overnight, families are advised to begin shifting bedtimes and wake-up times gradually, making the adjustment over about two weeks so the body clock can settle before lessons begin.

That approach matters because long summer evenings often turn into later bedtimes and sluggish mornings, especially for teenagers. Health guidance also stresses that children and teens need enough sleep to function well at school, while heavy screen use in the hour before bed can make it harder to fall asleep and wake feeling rested.

The same gradual logic applies to meals and device use. During the holidays, many children drift into late breakfasts, random snacking and more reliance on fast food, but restoring regular meal times can help them return to a school routine more easily. Several family-health guides also recommend setting clearer phone-free periods, particularly at mealtimes and before bed, and replacing some screen time with reading, play or outdoor activity.

Mahmoud’s advice also extends beyond sleep and food. She says the final weeks of summer are a good time to reintroduce simple daily responsibilities, such as tidying a desk, preparing clothes and packing a bag, while also helping children become more active again. The aim is not to make the holiday feel like school, but to ease the family back into structure without conflict.