How many hours of sleep at this age
9 to 12 hours a night
These figures come from the Canadian Paediatric Society's guidance for children aged 6 to 12. Every child is different: a very active 8-year-old may need more hours than another, and their morning mood is what tells you.
Typical struggles, and what to do
Five more minutes of tablet
It is 6:55 pm and Théo is bargaining for ten more minutes of game time because "Liam is online and we're finishing the match". The problem is not the ten minutes, it is the bargaining itself, which starts again every night. Set the end time with him on a Saturday, calmly, and use a visible timer. When it rings, the tablet goes to the kitchen, not the bedroom. If a match is in progress, that is his to plan around: the timer does not know Liam.
Asking for a later bedtime
At 8, your child notices that their cousin goes to bed at 9:00 pm and finds their own 8:00 pm unfair. Instead of saying no, offer a trial: 15 minutes later for two weeks, and you look at the mornings together. If they get up fine, the new time stays. If you have to drag them out of bed, you go back to the old time with no drama, because that was the deal. They learn that bedtime is not a punishment but a matter of sleep.
The routine done alone, halfway
You say "go get ready" and find them fifteen minutes later, pyjamas half on, reading a comic on the floor. Autonomy at 8 needs a structure. A short list on the bedroom door, four lines, that they tick off. You do not supervise every step; you only show up at the end, for the last five minutes. If they are not done, reading time gets shorter, and they know it.
A 20-minute routine that holds up
A 20-minute template for an 8-year-old who gets up around 7:00 am. They handle the first steps alone with their list; you show up for the last one.
- 7:00 pm
Timer rings, screens off
Tablet and console go off one hour before bed, and they sleep in the kitchen. No bargaining, no "just the end of the match": the timer was known in advance. A snack if supper was early, then upstairs.
- 7:40 pm
Shower and pyjamas, alone
They shower, put on pyjamas and hang up the towel. First box on the list ticked. You are elsewhere in the house: that is the point. If they skip a step, the list reminds them, not your voice from the living room.
- 7:48 pm
Teeth, and tomorrow's bag
Two-minute brushing, second box. Then the signed homework goes in the bag, the gym clothes too if tomorrow is Thursday. An 8-year-old is perfectly able to handle this, and it takes one tension out of the morning.
- 7:52 pm
Fifteen minutes of reading alone
In bed, with a reading lamp and a book of their choosing: comic, novel, a fact book about sharks, it does not matter. Fifteen minutes alone. This is the new habit of this year, and it is a far better replacement for the screen.
- 8:05 pm
The last five minutes, then lights out
You come in. You read a page or two of the book you are following together, or they tell you what they just read. One question about their day, a hug even if they say that is for babies. Lights out at 8:10 pm.
Reading alone at 8, without losing reading together
At 8, most children read fluently enough to get through a chapter alone. Fifteen minutes of independent reading in bed, every night, is the habit that matters most this year. Let them choose: if they want to reread the same comic for the tenth time, it still counts as reading. The goal is not to climb in difficulty, but for the bed, the lamp and the book to become a pleasant reflex.
Still keep one "together" book that only the two of you read, a notch harder than what they would read alone. Two or three pages a night, during the last five minutes. It is often when they talk the most: a question about a character turns into a question about a friend. If shared reading disappears at 8, it rarely comes back; if it stays, it lasts until 11 or 12.
Questions parents ask
What time should an 8-year-old go to bed?
For a 7:00 am wake-up, between 8:00 and 8:30 pm. That gives them 10 and a half to 11 hours, inside the recommended range. If your 8-year-old asks for 9:00 pm, run the two-week trial described above and judge by the mornings. On Friday and Saturday, an extra 30 to 45 minutes does no harm, as long as Sunday night returns to the usual time.
Do video games keep my 8-year-old from sleeping?
An exciting match right before bed, yes: the brain stays in competition mode and the screen light delays falling asleep. The answer is not to ban games but to place them: late afternoon or right after supper, then the timer and screens off one hour before bed. Screens sleep outside the bedroom, no exceptions, not even "just for music".
My 8-year-old doesn't want me to tuck them in anymore, is that normal?
Yes, and it is often a way of saying "I'm big now". Drop the words "tuck in" and keep the gesture: you come for the last five minutes, you read two pages or listen to their recap, you turn off the light. Most 8-year-olds who refuse the hug ask for it back three days later, as long as you are still there every night.
Contes de Lune
And where does the card fit in?
The Contes de Lune postcard arrives by mail every week, in your child's name. At 8, they read it alone, often the moment they find it in the mailbox, then reread it in bed during their fifteen minutes. The cards pile up on the bedroom wall, in order, like a series they are collecting. A paper ritual that holds its own against screens, without you having to push.
The last step of the routine, by mail
At Contes de Lune, your child receives an illustrated card in their name every week, with a new chapter of a story where they're the hero, with their imaginary friend. Their first story is free, to read on screen.
Create their first story for freeNo credit card · then, if you love the adventure: the cards by mail for $14.99/month, delivery included in Canada.