With the clocks going forward this weekend, the UK will lose an hour overnight – and for many parents, that can mean bedtime struggles and broken routines.
Children are particularly sensitive to changes in routine, and even a one-hour shift can lead to overtiredness, early wake-ups and resistance at bedtime.
But according to children’s wellbeing app Super Chill, one short, repeatable exercise can help children drift off more easily.
What can parents do to help their children?
Super Chill and sleep expert Kerry Davies, known as The Sleep Fixer, are working together to support parents and children with the clocks change
Kerry said
“When the clocks go forward, children are not just losing an hour of sleep, they are losing predictability,”
“Young nervous systems thrive on routine. Even small disruptions can show up as bedtime resistance, clinginess or difficulty settling.”
The ‘Sleep Well’ Hack
- If your child has racing thoughts at bedtime, focus on the body first.
- Placing fingers gently on both sides of the neck and moving them upwards towards the ears can help slow breathing and trigger relaxation.
The technique is one of several developed by the payment-free and ad-free children’s wellbeing platform Super Chill, which supports children with mindfulness, emotional regulation and sleep routines.
Image by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels
Levi van Dam, Professor of Resilient Development at the University of Amsterdam and one of the scientific minds behind Super Chill, adds:
“Repeating calming activities in the same order each evening helps children feel safe enough to settle, even when sleep doesn’t come immediately. Short, playful exercises can really help the body and mind relax.”
While the ‘Sleep Well’ technique can offer an immediate fix, Kerry says it works best alongside small, gradual routine changes.
“Our circadian rhythm prefers small, manageable changes,” she explains. “Shifting sleep times in 15-minute increments gives the body time to adapt naturally and helps avoid pushing children into overtiredness.”
Parents can begin adjusting bedtime earlier by around 15 minutes every few days, moving bath time and evening meals slightly earlier too.
“Parents sometimes see the clock change as a finish line, but it isn’t,” Kerry says. “You can still adjust gradually afterwards. Simply move sleep times in 15-minute increments over the following days and the body clock will catch up.”
For parents who haven’t adjusted routines in advance, Kerry says there is still time to ease the transition.
“Parents sometimes see the clock change as a finish line, but it isn’t,” she says. “You can still adjust gradually afterwards. Simply move sleep times in 15-minute increments over the following days and the body clock will catch up.” Children will usually recalibrate within five to seven days, guided by daylight, mealtimes and the rhythm of the day. “The transition may feel a little unsettled for a night or two,” Kerry adds. “But in most cases, children adjust within a week.
“The transition may feel unsettled for a night or two,” Kerry adds. “But in most cases, children adjust within a week.”
