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Tips for Stress-Free Naptimes
March 6, 2014
Learn to be quiet enough to hear the genuine within yourself so that you can hear it in others.
-Marian Wright Edelman

"Naptime in a child care center is often part of the daily schedule that children and staff both dread," writes Lana Button in her article, "Implementing a High-Quality Naptime Routine," which serves as the basis for the Exchange Out of the Box training kit, Naptime Routines.  Here are a few of the tips that Button offered for a high-quality naptime experience:

  • Always give the children a ‘heads up’ when naptime is approaching.  Keep your pre-nap routine consistent and your class will start mentally preparing for a rest before they even hit their cots (i.e., children may wipe their hands or visit the bathroom before finding their cots).
  • Keep children’s cots in the same basic location each day.  Once you find a spot where a child is most likely to get a good rest, use that spot consistently.  
    Having to adjust to a new spot or a new ‘nap neighbor’ can make it difficult for a child to settle down.
  • Allow children a few minutes on their cots before the lights are turned out.  
    This allows children to transition from being very active to being very still.  
    Your center might provide nap books or simple manipulative toys for children to explore independently for 5 minutes.




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Comments (2)

Displaying All 2 Comments
Peter Gebhardt · March 06, 2014
House of Neuville Jewels
Dallas, TX, United States


No music for us. And we use to offer gentle back rubs, which usually put the children in a more relaxed state, and they settled down and fell asleep pretty quick.

Andrea Dekker · March 06, 2014
United States


We might also want to discuss the volume and type of music that is played in the background. Music should be soothing and played at a volume that is quiet enough to create a relaxing environment. So many centers turn the music so loud (I think to discourage talking) that they have to talk quite loudly over it. But this has the opposite effect on the children. The other basic that often is overlooked is that the room should NOT be completely dark - this is not only scary to some children but dangerous, in that we need to always be able to see the children. Dimming overhead lights can be sufficient, or lamp light, but it should not be pitch black.



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