If your family is anything like mine, the Summer means up late and sleeping later than normal (although for me it just means up late, up early as I wake up before 8AM almost always.) About a week or two before school starts, get your child back in the habit of going to bed earlier. If you have enough time, start moving back bedtime, until you are closer to the usual time she goes to bed. The week before school, start to wake her up earlier too.

The Benefit: This will allow your child to readjust to a new schedule before school starts, rather than having to do it during the first two weeks of school. Left to the first two weeks of school, you’re likely to have a cranky child on your hands.