You probably do this/know this, but LOTS of physical activity seems to help. I can tell a huge difference in sleeping and falling asleep if we skip the outdoor play. If we can't go outdoors, I make sure he does jumping jacks, wheelbarrow walks, crab walks, jumping on the bed (yes, I allow that), jump rope until he is panting. The physical activity helps his mind settle down it seems. My son is constantly on the move just by doing regular things around the house and I would think that alone would tire him out, but it does not...he needs the extra hard activity of outdoor play to quiet his brain by night time.
Other than that, we follow a STRICT bedtime routine even on weekends. (We started this because he has an ASD and loves routines anyway.) But it rarely varies and helps a lot. If the routine is NOT followed (like this first week of school there are some changes because he keeps remembering things he wants to excitedly tell me about) it takes longer to go to sleep.
Nan
