I received this question from a reader in Plovdiv, Bulgaria but I’m certain it will resonate with early childhood professionals around the world…
“We try to have some time for rest and relaxation in the afternoon after lunch. We have a really hard time making children lay down for a while and relax...advice?
- Katerina (name changed for privacy)
Katerina, many teachers share your rest time struggles!
And, while it’s easy to pinpoint nap time or quiet time as the problem, in reality the solution starts much earlier in the day.
Plus, in most classrooms this is a multi-parted transition that starts with lunch clean-up...to bathroom…(maybe) get-your-stuff-in-your-cubby and/or make-your-bed...to-nap/quiet-time.
That’s a little brain to navigate! Especially when tired.
With that in mind, here are my top 7 Rest Time Tips…
Make sure you have at least 1 hour of gross motor activity in the morning. Only get 30 minutes on the playground? Make sure you don’t lose a minute of it! Start the transition to outside sooner if you need to. Try to negotiate with your co-workers and program leadership to extend it to 45 minutes or combine it with a walk in the neighborhood.
Include movement or physical games during circle time and transitions. This is not instead of 1 hour of gross motor, it’s in addition!
Get lamps or rely on daylight. Use these, especially in the morning. Many children are sensitive to fluorescent overhead lights so may be part of your problem.
Dim or turn off the lights and play soothing music during lunch clean up. If it helps do this but if it doesn’t then of course don’t. (You’re probably doing this already).
Have one teacher read or tell a really good story informally in the rest area (bring stuffies and blankets, attendance optional). This can help settle those ready to rest and motivate the stragglers to finish up lunch and bathrooming.
Use a soothing jingle to sing the directions to get on your cot. Singing about #7 may give this strategy an extra boost.
Lead the children in a lay-down “creative movement” exercise or gentle on-cot yoga. Folks, this is the key. The possibilities are endless here but I like to sing about going on a cloud adventure.
Use a variation of that bubble gum song to transition the children to their mats. The bubbles carry them up in the air and to their mat, which is a cloud.
Once on their “clouds” (don’t wait for everyone to comply, just keep the soothing fun going so they want to lay down and partake), narrate passing clouds of different shapes and say things like put one leg in the air or reach overhead to touch various shapes.
Use your imagination! Keep it fun and interesting but not too exciting. Close with catching a cloud and tucking it under the pillow to ground them on their mat.
...Maybe everyone whispers “good night cloud” and you tell them that they can see what shape their cloud is when it wakes up in two hours.
It turns out we have to work hard to get a quiet time to go well!
Pre-nap stories, soothingly singing the directions, and doing a slow but fun creative movement activity have fallen out of fashion but that stuff is MAGIC.
If you relate to the transition to rest time as part of your curriculum and give it the attention it deserves you will start to see change over time.
Now, I’d love to hear from you…
Do you struggle with the transition from lunch-clean-up lunch-bathroom-nap/quiet-time?
What rituals do you use to help ease this transition and settle the children?
Any new thoughts or ideas you want to try after reading this?
Let me know in the comments below…
…AND if you do struggle with transition from lunch to nap time, you should check out my Transform Rest Time Online Course and learn 10 strategies to help you ease this transition and settle children in your classroom.
