Giving kids quiet time in the afternoon pays dividends... my teens grew so much through that time and now can be really productive when alone because of the hobbies they picked up during "nap times." It's so worth it! There are some great tips here. My addition is that for a short season when they were transitioning from naps, I had toys in their rooms that they could only play with during nap. And there's no harm in stretching nap time to 1.5 or even 2 hours. :)
That’s so encouraging to hear! Sometimes my elementary aged kids whine about why they have to do quiet time but I really do think it benefits all of us, even in ways that they can’t realize now. We’re just about to end my 4-year-olds napping days so he’ll be joining the quiet time crew and learning how to build stamina to play independently in his room : )
I adore this. We did this throughout our entire homeschool time and it helped create calm, order, and eventually young adults who crave that solitude in their own lives. Best to you for a wonderful homeschooling year!
Thanks Larson! It’s been a rhythm we’ve worked really hard to preserve and not all of my kids crave this time of day like I do, but it’s what we all need in order to feel good about staying home together!
Thank you for this encouragement. My two oldest kids are 4 and 5.5 and both of them hate being alone. They tell me they’re scared and the 4 year old even cries (they share a room). Which is why I’ve allowed them to do quiet time in the same room in the past but I agree that they need time alone (don’t we all). Do you have any suggestions for how to help them not be afraid?
That’s tricky when it’s an actual fear, especially at nighttime when it’s dark and more scary. In the daytime hours, do you think your 4 year old would still be scared or maybe it’s just a learned behavior since nights aren’t as comfortable? Maybe you could try music or audio books so that it’s not totally silent and your kids don’t feel so alone? Or have them gather a bin of special activities they can only do at quiet time so it’s more of a novel experience. Just take little steps and over time I’m sure with maturity they’ll get the hang of it : )
I like the idea of doing 30 minutes of reading together before rest time! That feels like a calm way to be “near” but let them start resting and quieting down on their own. Do have a post about your reward coupons?
We use separate timers so each child can see how much time is left! My preschooler uses the visual timer and the others use either our Alexa or a regular little timer. But we do start at the same time so there’s consistency ☺️
Do you have a post on your coupon system
Giving kids quiet time in the afternoon pays dividends... my teens grew so much through that time and now can be really productive when alone because of the hobbies they picked up during "nap times." It's so worth it! There are some great tips here. My addition is that for a short season when they were transitioning from naps, I had toys in their rooms that they could only play with during nap. And there's no harm in stretching nap time to 1.5 or even 2 hours. :)
That’s so encouraging to hear! Sometimes my elementary aged kids whine about why they have to do quiet time but I really do think it benefits all of us, even in ways that they can’t realize now. We’re just about to end my 4-year-olds napping days so he’ll be joining the quiet time crew and learning how to build stamina to play independently in his room : )
I adore this. We did this throughout our entire homeschool time and it helped create calm, order, and eventually young adults who crave that solitude in their own lives. Best to you for a wonderful homeschooling year!
Thank you Mary! I’m glad to hear it’s worked for your family during those homeschooling years!
My introvert self loves this!! Can’t wait to try. Thank you!
Yes it’s such a helpful habit!
I'm interested in the reward coupons. What types of things can the coupon be used for?
Yes I think I need to do a separate post on this because lots of mamas are asking! I’ll work on it soon so stay tuned!
I love all these tips, thank you for sharing!! Your kids are so good about quiet time, I hope to work on it more this year with mine!
Thanks Larson! It’s been a rhythm we’ve worked really hard to preserve and not all of my kids crave this time of day like I do, but it’s what we all need in order to feel good about staying home together!
Thank you for this encouragement. My two oldest kids are 4 and 5.5 and both of them hate being alone. They tell me they’re scared and the 4 year old even cries (they share a room). Which is why I’ve allowed them to do quiet time in the same room in the past but I agree that they need time alone (don’t we all). Do you have any suggestions for how to help them not be afraid?
That’s tricky when it’s an actual fear, especially at nighttime when it’s dark and more scary. In the daytime hours, do you think your 4 year old would still be scared or maybe it’s just a learned behavior since nights aren’t as comfortable? Maybe you could try music or audio books so that it’s not totally silent and your kids don’t feel so alone? Or have them gather a bin of special activities they can only do at quiet time so it’s more of a novel experience. Just take little steps and over time I’m sure with maturity they’ll get the hang of it : )
I like the idea of doing 30 minutes of reading together before rest time! That feels like a calm way to be “near” but let them start resting and quieting down on their own. Do have a post about your reward coupons?
Yes I really like the calmness that our reading in the same room provides us all! I will work on a post soon about the reward coupons! Stay tuned!
Do you use one timer for everyone or separate timers for each kid in their spaces?
We use separate timers so each child can see how much time is left! My preschooler uses the visual timer and the others use either our Alexa or a regular little timer. But we do start at the same time so there’s consistency ☺️
Okay I love this! My introvert does this easily, but my extrovert struggles—the reward system would probably work really well for her!!
Yes same here! We added the reward coupons this summer (used them for this last school year too) and they actually work!