Getting enough sleep is vital to a child’s growth and education. Think of how you feel when you are tired—grumpy, irritable, you have difficulty concentrating. Your children react similarly. According to Kids Health, school age children should get 9 to 10 hours of sleep a night while teens should get 8 to 9 hours of sleep. Establishing a bedtime is the key to ensuring your child gets enough sleep.

• Establish bedtime routines. Turn off the television and video games and have your child do something quiet for at least 30 minutes before lights out. She can play quietly in her room, read with you, or play a quiet bedtime game found on HubPages.
• Be the boss. It is important that the parent determine the bedtime, not the child. Discuss your child’s bedtime with her so she knows the expectations. But, make her realize that you will ultimately make the final decision about what time she will go to bed.
• Stick to it. If your child is like most, she is a master at stalling for a later bedtime. Stick with it and don’t allow her to put off bedtime routines.
• Keep it the same. Fight the urge to allow her to stay up extra late on the weekends or school holidays. Occasionally, it won’t be harmful, but try to stick to the routine as much as possible—no matter the day of week.

If your child hasn’t had a bedtime before, do some research to help you establish one. For younger children,iVillage and an article from the University of Pittsburg offer some advice. For your school age children, Berkely Parents Network and EduGuide will help you establish rituals. Still having trouble? Kids Health offers some solutions to bedtime blues.