Nap Time Tips

"Mrs. Calabrese, this is the first time I've seen kids actually sleep during nap time! It's so nice and quiet! What did you do?" whispered my supervisor as she tip-toed through my classroom during nap time. I couldn't respond then, but eventually this is what I told her: 

Nap time is very important for preschoolers. It's a time to rest and oftentimes it may be the only quiet space for a little one. Many preschoolers have a crying baby at home or their parents keep them up late. - Oh dear, that's a topic for another blog! - 

Here are some tips for ensuring that all your little ones rest comfortably during nap time. 

First provide a full morning of activities including:

1. Breakfast, songs and dance, circle time.
2. 1 hour and 15 minutes of center time.
3. 1 hour of outside play.
4. 15 minutes of *story time.  It helps to read a story about napping and talk procedure.
5. A warm healthy lunch
6. Bathroom and hand washing.                            

                                         *You may want to have a puppet show during story time to show your children how to rest and how NOT to rest. I've found that showing children what NOT to do is just as important as showing them what to do. It's a good idea to teach the children that we grow when we sleep, so sleeping helps us get big and strong.                                     

     

                        

•                               NAP TIME
• Make sure cots are at least 3 feet apart. 
• Do not place heads close together. 
• Pull down blinds and lights out.  
• Play soft relaxing music
• Tuck each child in, pull covers over and give a little back rub, whisper personal words of comfort and assurance.
• Tell the children you love them and want them to have a nice rest.
• Remind the child that if they cannot sleep, they should just rest and remain quiet for their friends who are sleeping.
• Tell the children you will be right there protecting them and that they are safe. 
• Let them sleep for 45 minutes, though some will require even more sleep because again, their home lives may be stressful. 

If a child refuses to lay down, just have him/her put head down on a pillow and cover with a blanket at the table. Periodically you can offer the cot but let children do whatever feels safest. 

Always make your classroom a place of nurturing and warmth, preschool nap time is a lovely time to teach children to rest.

Hope that helps. :-) Phew! Now I need a nap! :-)