A 7-year-old who wakes at 7:00 AM should go to bed between about 7:45 and 8:15 PM, and no later than 9:45 PM. That gives 10.5 to 11 hours of sleep, comfortably inside the 9 to 12 hours the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends for children aged 6 to 12. Each bedtime here includes about 15 minutes to fall asleep.
Six to nine is the stretch where naps are long gone, school is full-time, and after-school life starts filling up. Most children this age still go to bed when a parent says so, which makes it the best window to build a bedtime that sticks.
Free toolSleep Needs by AgeRecommended hours for every age, from newborns to over-65s.Bedtime chart for ages 6 to 9
Find your child's wake-up time and read across. The 9-hour column is the latest bedtime that still meets the minimum.
| Wake-up time | 11 hours | 10.5 hours | 10 hours | 9 hours (latest) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:45 PM |
| 6:30 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:15 PM | 9:15 PM |
| 7:00 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:45 PM |
| 7:30 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:15 PM | 10:15 PM |
The recommended range doesn't change between 6 and 9, so the targets below are practical starting points within it. A reasonable approach is to start at the longer end for younger children and adjust from there; your child's mood at 5 PM is a better guide than any chart. For other ages and times, use the sleep needs by age calculator.
What time should a 6-year-old go to bed?
A 6-year-old who wakes at 7:00 AM usually does well with a 7:45 PM bedtime, or 7:15 PM for a 6:30 AM wake-up. That's about 11 hours. The latest bedtimes that still give 9 hours are 9:45 and 9:15 PM.
Six is often the first year of full-day school, and the tiredness can show up as meltdowns at dinner rather than yawning. An earlier bedtime for the first few weeks of the school year is a kind move, even if it feels early. For children just below this age who may still nap, see what time a 5-year-old should go to bed.
What time should a 7-year-old go to bed?
A 7-year-old should go to bed around 7:45 to 8:15 PM for a 7:00 AM wake-up, or 7:15 to 7:45 PM for 6:30 AM. The latest bedtimes are 9:45 and 9:15 PM.
Seven-year-olds are expert negotiators. The best answer to "five more minutes" is a routine that ends the same way every night, so there's less to negotiate. A large UK study of 10,230 seven-year-olds found that children without regular bedtimes had more behavioral difficulties, as rated by both mothers and teachers. Children who moved from irregular to regular bedtimes showed improvements. It's an observational study, so it can't prove cause, but it's a reassuring reason to keep the same time most nights.
What time should an 8-year-old go to bed?
An 8-year-old should go to bed around 8:15 PM for a 7:00 AM wake-up, or 7:45 PM for 6:30 AM, for about 10.5 hours. No later than 9:45 or 9:15 PM.
At 8, after-school activities often start in earnest. A 6:00 PM practice can push dinner, bath and homework right up against bedtime. On those nights, shorten the routine rather than moving lights-out: a quick shower, one short book, and sleep.
What time should a 9-year-old go to bed?
A 9-year-old should go to bed around 8:45 PM for a 7:00 AM wake-up, or 8:15 PM for 6:30 AM, for about 10 hours. The latest bedtimes are 9:45 and 9:15 PM.
Nine-year-olds often want a later bedtime than younger siblings, and a small difference, such as 15 minutes, can be a fair privilege that keeps the peace. Ten hours is a good floor to protect on school nights. From 10 onward, see what time a 12-year-old should go to bed.
Summer evenings and daylight saving time
In summer, keep the same bedtime and make the room dark, because bright evenings are a common reason school-age kids can't settle.
- Blackout curtains or blinds make a bright 8 PM feel like bedtime.
- Dim the house in the last hour: lamps on, overhead lights off.
- Keep the wake-up time steady through vacation where you can, within an hour or so of school days. Letting it slide by two or three hours makes the first week back hard.
- For the clock change, move bedtime 15 minutes a night over the few nights before, so the shift is gradual.
When bedtime turns into a battle
Stalling, fears and repeated callbacks are normal at this age, and they respond best to calm, boring consistency.
- Give choices inside the routine: which pajamas, which book. Not whether to go to bed.
- Build in the last requests: water by the bed, bathroom, one final hug, then lights out.
- For fears of the dark, a dim night-light and a short check-in a few minutes after lights-out usually help.
- Praise the morning after a smooth night, rather than arguing in the moment.
If your child still lies awake for a long time most nights, try moving bedtime 15 minutes later for a week. A child put to bed far earlier than they need may simply not be sleepy.
When to talk to your pediatrician
Check with your child's pediatrician if they snore loudly most nights or have pauses or gasps in breathing while asleep, are very sleepy during the day despite enough time in bed, wake often every night, or have had trouble falling asleep for weeks.