How Much Sleep Do 5-8 Year Olds Need? Practice-Night Math
A five-year-old needs 10 to 13 hours of sleep in 24 hours, naps included, and a six-, seven- or eight-year-old needs 9 to 12. Those are the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s ranges, and the American Academy of Pediatrics backs them. On a youth-sports calendar the useful version is arithmetic. Start from the time your child has to be up, count back their hours, and that tells you when the lights go out. Practice nights and 8am games move the two ends of that sum, and the five-year-old sits in a different band from the rest of the team.
The numbers, and where they come from
The figures come from a 2016 consensus statement by the AASM, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Its two sentences for this age group are:
- “Children 3 to 5 years of age should sleep 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health.”
- “Children 6 to 12 years of age should sleep 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health.”
The AAP’s parent site, HealthyChildren, says in its sleep-hours guide that “The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) supports the AASM guidelines.”
| Age | Recommended sleep per 24 hours | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 10 to 13 hours, including naps | AASM, 3-to-5 band |
| 6, 7 and 8 | 9 to 12 hours | AASM, 6-to-12 band |
The line falls at six. The kindergartner on a team with first graders is still in the 3-to-5 band. Betteroo’s sleep chart and bedtime table notes that “Most 5-year-olds no longer nap,” so those hours have to come at night. On a mixed-age team, that five-year-old is the one the practice schedule squeezes hardest.
These are ranges, and the same Betteroo page says it plainly: “These are ranges, not targets to hit to the minute.” A kid who wakes up cheerful on the low end of the range is fine there.
Practice-night math, worked through
Here is a real Tuesday, laid out the way I do it before a season.
- Practice runs 6:00 to 7:15. Home by 7:40.
- Food, shower and kit on the hook: lights out around 8:30.
- Betteroo’s guide says to allow “another 15 to 20 minutes, because most children take that long to fall asleep once the lights go out.” Call it asleep by 8:50.
If school means a 7:00 wake-up, that’s just over 10 hours. That sits inside 9 to 12 for the seven-year-old. For the five-year-old it’s at the very bottom of 10 to 13. Move the wake-up to 6:30 for an early bus and the seven-year-old is still inside the range at about 9 hours 40 minutes, while the five-year-old has dropped below it.
Betteroo goes a step further than the AASM with a bedtime table worked back from wake-up time. For six- to eight-year-olds it sets a target of 10 to 11 hours of night sleep, and for a 7:00 wake-up that puts lights out between 7:45 and 8:45. On whether 9pm is too late, it says: “Once in a while is fine; as a routine, most 6 and 7 year olds do better with lights out closer to 8:00.”
Two late practices a week is “once in a while”. Four is a routine, and the fix usually comes from the hour after practice, not the bedtime. The early-bedtime playbook covers that hour, including the sibling who came along for the ride.
Early game mornings move the other end
An 8:00 game with a 7:15 warm-up means a 6:30 wake-up on a Saturday. Run the same sum backwards with Betteroo’s table and lights-out on Friday lands between 7:15 and 8:15 for a six- to eight-year-old. For plenty of families, Friday night is pizza and a movie.
Two things make it work:
- Decide Friday’s lights-out on Thursday. The number is set before the evening starts, so nobody is negotiating at 8:40 with the movie half over.
- Keep Sunday’s wake-up close to Saturday’s. HealthyChildren’s sleep tips list “The same waking time (both on weekdays and weekends)” among the things that help. Betteroo puts the allowance at weekends “no more than about an hour different.” A three-hour Sunday lie-in looks like catching up and usually means a Sunday night that won’t start.
When the early morning is a whole weekend away, with a hotel, a shared room and three games, that’s a different problem. The tournament-weekend sleep plan covers it. If your house is up at five most days for an ice slot or a swim practice, shifting the whole evening as a block is the version for you.
Does an active kid need more sleep?
The honest answer is that the ranges don’t say. The AASM statement sets its ranges by age, with no separate figure for children who play sports, so I’m not going to invent one from a folding chair.
What the AAP’s guide does say cuts both ways. Among its tips is “Be active during the day.” Further down the same list comes this, which could have been written about my October: “many children today have scheduled evening activities (i.e., sports games, lessons, appointments, etc.) that pose challenges to getting a good night’s sleep. Take time to wind down and give your children the downtime that they need.”
So aim for the range and protect the wind-down after a late game. Our post on tiring kids out explains why a loud, late tournament evening often works against sleep, especially for the younger ones.
Finding where your kid sits in the range
Nine to twelve hours is a wide band. To find your child’s number, Betteroo’s guide suggests a two-week test on an ordinary routine. Pick a bedtime that allows sleep at the top of their range, keep it, and watch whether they wake on their own and how the late afternoon goes. “The best test is how your child acts during the day,” it says.
For a sports kid, the hour before practice is a good place to look. Nemours KidsHealth’s sleep page lists “be hyperactive (especially younger children)” among the signs of a short-slept child, so the kid bouncing off the bleachers at 5:45 isn’t always full of energy.
If your child sleeps well past the top of the range, struggles to get to sleep most nights, or anything about their sleep worries you, take it to the pediatrician. Don’t fix it with the calendar.
Where a plan helps the youngest
Betteroo’s sleep plans cover children from newborn through age six. In a sports house that means the five-year-old in a first season, or the sideline sibling whose nap and bedtime fit around everyone else’s practices. It won’t plan the eight-year-old’s nights; the range above does that for free.
What to leave alone
- Don’t chase the top of the range on practice nights. Inside the range is the goal. A 7:15 lights-out after a 7:40 arrival home is a fight you won’t win, and you don’t need to.
- Don’t treat the oldest and youngest as one bedtime. The five-year-old is in a different band. Their lights-out can be earlier than the eight-year-old’s even on the same evening.
FAQ: sleep for 5 to 8 year olds
How much sleep does a 6 year old need?
The AASM recommends 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours for children 6 to 12, and the AAP supports that range. Most six-year-olds have no nap, so it all comes at night.
How much sleep does a 5 year old need?
10 to 13 hours per 24 hours, including any nap. Five-year-olds are in the AASM’s 3-to-5 band, which is an hour higher at both ends than the band for six and up.
Is 9pm too late for a 7 year old after practice?
Once in a while it’s fine. Betteroo’s guide says that as a routine, “most 6 and 7 year olds do better with lights out closer to 8:00.” Count back from the wake-up time: a 9:00 lights-out before a 7:00 alarm leaves less than 10 hours once they’ve fallen asleep.
Do kids who play sports need more sleep?
The AASM ranges are set by age, with no separate figure for active children. Aim for your child’s range, and protect a calm wind-down on game and practice nights. A busy evening makes sleep harder to start, even when the child is tired.
