The Sunday Times reported on 20 July that 'nearly half of the primary school pupils polled say they are not getting enough sleep' (The Sunday Times, 20 July 2008, Home, Page 8, "Sleepy Kids").
Some interesting extracts from the article:
a) Dr Jenny Tang, deputy head of paediatric medicine at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, said that the recommended number of hours a child between the ages of six and 12 should sleep a day is 10 to 11 hours.
b) Mr Martin Tan, principal of Anderson Primary School, said schools are conscious of the need for pupils to have sufficient rest and family time.
'It boils down to time management and this is where parents need to work closely with their children to ensure they are spending their time at home wisely and making the right choices,' he said.
c) If good grades are what parents and teachers are after, they should know that sleep deprivation can affect a child's attention, memory, decision-making and creativity.
d) It (lack of sleep) can also cause kid to become more irritable and can even lead to behavioural problems like hyperactivity and disobedience.
How true is this for your case? Read Mr Tan's response, and two of your schoolmates' sleeping habits in this article.
Reflect on this issue using these guiding questions:
1) How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
2) Do you think you have enough sleep each day?
3) Do your parents make u sleep early?
4) If you think you have enough sleep, how do you manage to do that? If you do not have enough sleep, what are you doing that keep you awake (computer games / TV / Internet / Homework / Tuition /School activities etc.) and hence, prevent you from getting enough sleep?
5) Do you think you have too many things to do every day?
6) What are the things that you have to do in a day?
7) What do you think children and parents can do to ensure that children get enough sleep?
Do discuss this issue in great detail as it is of great relevance to u and me. Looking forward to reading your response soon. =D
