School age children are becoming more social and more active with learning. Children during this age are expected to learn at a faster pace. They are expected to have a longer attention span. Sleep is very important to children of this age, so that they are alert in school. 7-12 year old children are often in various activities both in and out of school. Their mind is constantly active. This takes a lot of energy.

The brain accounts for most of the energy that our body uses. During this age of young adolescence their minds are growing at a rapid rate. For this reason, school age children need somewhere between 10-11 hours of sleep a day. A typical child of this age will go to bed around 9:00 and get back up at 6:00 for school. Following this typical schedule, they are only getting 9 hours of sleep. Every child will be a little bit different on the amount of sleep that they need, however 10-11 hours is necessary for school age children.

Sleep is one of the most important things a child can have to be a successful student. A child that hasn’t had enough sleep will be groggy. The child will forget information that the teacher is giving out. Studies have shown that children who get adequate sleep have better test scores in school.