Sleep Schedules for kids of all ages: Vital parenting information from Eyewitness News

A good, restful night of sleep is essential for everyone, especially your growing son or daughter. Getting the right amount of shut-eye can help a lot as you send them off to school for a long day of learning. Here are a couple guidelines that may help set new bedtime limits.

A full night of replenishing sleep does wonders for the body- head to toe... it's just as important for children as it is adults.

The transition into a full day of school for five and six-year olds can be very difficult.. they may get a rest period, but no real nap time. To keep them going at their best Pediatrician Dr. Joe Matusic recommends kindergartners and first graders get about 10 to 12 hours of sleep... and look at how they function on that amount.

Dr. Joe Matusic, MD, Pediatrician
If they're getting up at six o'clock to get ready for school and get the bus at 7 o'clock, they don't get a nap anymore and they come home and they're tired and dragging... you give them a snack to energize them and get them up. But if they're just dragging, cranky and grumpy and having a tough time with homework, maybe that's a sign they need a little more sleep.

It's important for you to know what time your child's going to bed, and what time they actually get to sleep. That could be a big difference. So try and figure that out. Hopefully judging how they act later in the day will give you an idea how their night of sleep went... Then adjust their schedules or bedtime rituals accordingly. Middle school children may only need 9 to 10 hours of sleep to function well at school and learn... but adolescents need more.

Dr. Joe Matusic, MD
When you're getting into adolescents, there's a lot of growth, hormone changes, a lot of emotional changes, and personal growth. I think those kids need a lot more sleep.

That could mean 10 to 12 hours at night for teenagers.

The bottom line from the doctor is to practice good sleep hygiene. That means get your child to go to bed the same time every night.. and yes, that includes Saturday and Sunday... he says you don't really ever "catch up" on missed sleep on the weekends. It's a common issue Dr. Matusic talks to parents about. So talk to your physician if you have a question.