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.My first one is starting kindergarten next week and needs something for "rest time". 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. It turns out we have to work hard to get a quiet time to go well! 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. Close with catching a cloud and tucking it under the pillow to ground them on their mat. Use your imagination! Keep it fun and interesting but not too exciting. 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. The bubbles carry them up in the air and to their mat, which is a cloud. Use a variation of that bubble gum song to transition the children to their mats. The possibilities are endless here but I like to sing about going on a cloud adventure. Lead the children in a lay-down “creative movement” exercise or gentle on-cot yoga. Singing about #7 may give this strategy an extra boost. Use a soothing jingle to sing the directions to get on your cot. This can help settle those ready to rest and motivate the stragglers to finish up lunch and bathrooming.
Have one teacher read or tell a really good story informally in the rest area (bring stuffies and blankets, attendance optional). If it helps do this but if it doesn’t then of course don’t. Many children are sensitive to fluorescent overhead lights so may be part of your problem.ĭim or turn off the lights and play soothing music during lunch clean up. This is not instead of 1 hour of gross motor, it’s in addition! Include movement or physical games during circle time and transitions. 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. 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. Make sure you have at least 1 hour of gross motor activity in the morning. With that in mind, here are my top 7 Rest Time Tips…
That’s a little brain to navigate! Especially when tired. 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.
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. We have a really hard time making children lay down for a while and relax.advice? “We try to have some time for rest and relaxation in the afternoon after lunch.
I recently received this question from a reader in Plovdiv, Bulgaria but I’m certain it will resonate with early childhood professionals around the world…
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