How many hours of sleep at this age
9 to 12 hours a night
These figures are drawn from the Canadian Paediatric Society's guidance for ages 6 to 12. Every child is different: at 9, some still sleep 11 hours straight, others are perfectly fine on nine and a half.
Typical struggles, and what to do
My friends go to bed at 10
Mia comes home from supper at a friend's with a solid argument: over there, everyone goes to bed at 10:00 pm. At 9, comparing is normal, and it will last. Do not debate other families. Instead, walk through the math once, with a pencil: "You get up at 6:50 am, your body needs at least nine and a half hours, so lights out by 9:00 pm at the latest." Numbers get argued with less than authority does. And accept that weekends are different.
The tablet that wants to sleep in the bedroom
"Just for music", "just as an alarm clock". At 9, the requests get creative. The simplest rule to hold: no screen sleeps in the bedroom, full stop. A plain alarm clock settles the alarm argument, a small speaker with no screen settles the music. The tablet charges in the kitchen, in the same spot every night. You have nothing to check and they have nothing to hide.
A full head once the light is off
At 9, the day takes a while to digest: the math test, the recess conflict, the hockey team. If all of that comes out at 9:15 pm in the dark, falling asleep drags on. Move it earlier: a three-line journal, or a two-minute "best and worst of my day" sitting on the bed, before reading. Once said or written, it weighs less. If your child stays awake for more than an hour every night for weeks, talk to your family doctor.
A 20-minute routine that holds up
A 20-minute template for a 9-year-old who gets up around 6:50 am, Sunday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, shift everything by 45 minutes at most.
- 7:30 pm
Tablet to the kitchen
One hour before bed, the tablet and the phone, if there is one, go charge in the kitchen. They bring them over; you do not confiscate them: the nuance matters at 9. Homework is already done by then; what is left is screen-free free time.
- 8:10 pm
Shower and pyjamas
Five-minute shower, alone, no reminders. At 9, this is settled most nights. Tomorrow's clothes come out of the drawer at the same time as the pyjamas and wait on the chair.
- 8:18 pm
Teeth and bag prep
Two minutes of brushing. Then the agenda gets checked, the bag zipped and set by the door. A 9-year-old's morning goes better when there is nothing to hunt for.
- 8:22 pm
Journal or best and worst
Sitting on the bed: the best moment of the day, the worst, in two minutes. Some kids would rather write it in a small notebook than say it. Both work. You listen; you fix nothing tonight.
- 8:25 pm
Reading, then lights out
They read their own book alone, ten to fifteen minutes, bedside lamp. You come back at the end to read two pages of the book you follow together, or just for the good-night sentence. Lights out at 8:45 pm.
Long series at 9
At 9, many children fall into a long adventure series: eight, twelve, twenty books, the same characters, and the question of the next one before this one is finished. That is a gift. A child who reads every night because they need to know what happens next no longer needs to be asked to read. Sign them up at the public library and let them place the holds themselves.
Keep shared reading alive with a different book, read in turns: one page them, one page you. At 9, it can be a denser novel they would not pick up alone, or a book you loved at their age. And if some nights it is only them reading, in their room, with their lamp, that is fine too: reading has become their own, which was the point.
Questions parents ask
What time should a 9-year-old go to bed?
On weekdays, between 8:30 and 9:00 pm for a wake-up around 7:00 am, which gives 10 to 10 and a half hours of sleep. On weekends, 45 minutes later at most: beyond that, Sunday night becomes a battle and Monday morning a disaster. Write both times somewhere visible. A written rule gets negotiated less than one repeated out loud.
My 9-year-old can't fall asleep, what can I do?
Check the three classics first: a screen in the hour before bed, a sugary late snack, and a day with no time outside. Then look at the time: a 9-year-old put to bed at 8:00 pm who only needs nine and a half hours will stare at the ceiling. Add the journal or the two-minute "best and worst". If it lasts more than three or four weeks, talk to your family doctor or pharmacist.
Can a 9-year-old keep their tablet in the bedroom at night?
Our parent-to-parent advice: no, and the earlier the rule exists, the less it gets argued. Even turned off, a tablet in the bedroom is a temptation at 10:00 pm when everyone is asleep. At 9, your child needs a clear rule more than willpower. A plain alarm clock and a fixed charging spot in the kitchen settle 90 per cent of the arguments.
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, with a new chapter of their story. At 9, they read it alone the same evening, and it becomes one more series, but on paper and with them in it. The cards line up on the wall, in order. It is a small habit that holds without a screen, at the age when everything else goes through the tablet.
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.