Is your child transitioning from their nap time?
If you're not ready to give up that little moment of peace in the day or they are still needing some down time to get through to dinner time this is the perfect time to introduce rest time instead.
I don't think I would be the only parent to say that I look forward to a little rest when the kids are sleeping (or doing rest time).
Without a rest by the afternoon I was often left feeling tired so I allowed myself time to relax and take a moment to recharge my battery to get on with the day.
Some days rest time was a nap, eating lunch on my own, prepping dinner in peace or folding washing and let me tell you... I enjoyed it!
It's something that I really looked forward to and I'm sure many others would agree.
How did rest time first begin in our home?
Rest time in our house begun with eldest when my eldest was about 2.5 years old. I had 2 under 2 and her sister would often sleep at the same time so sometimes I needed a nap myself.
After working in child care for many years prior to having my own children I decided to implement a similar routine and offered her a basket of activities that she could use when she woke up from her nap, keeping her quiet and in her room playing until 2pm for a full 2 hours of rest time.
We used to do this at work to keep the children busy when other children were still sleeping and we needed to keep them quiet so I thought why not try it at home!
I implemented this before she fully dropped her nap so it was a pretty seamless transition for her when she stopped her daytime sleep all together.
Whether you're looking to transition or start a new routine for your child keep on reading below for all the tips and tricks for a sucessful rest time.
What is rest time?
Weather you call it quiet time or rest time they are the same thing. Everyone does it a little bit differently but it is essentially a period of time during the day that is spent resting in your own space, playing quietly and independently.
Quiet time is great for keeping a consistent routine, promoting independent play and also assisting children to regulate and recharge to make it through to bed time.
What if they fall asleep?
Enjoy it! Sometimes my children would fall asleep and that was just an added bonus! I found as they were dropping their nap they would sleep a few times a week but not everyday so quiet time was a great alternative if they didn't sleep but that it kept the routine. They were also recharged and happy ready to enjoy the afternoon.
Where should rest time take place?
Rest time can take place in their room, your play space or the living room. It doesn't really matter where they are as long as they are playing quietly and independently. It may be a bit of trial and error to see what works best for your family especially if you have younger siblings in the house to consider.
With my own children we started in their rooms as this was where they would nap during the day so we continued to follow the same routine.
Getting Started
When starting quiet time remember that every child and family is different so what worked for us might not work for you. The length of time that they rest may need to be adjusted or be different between siblings of different ages, stages or personalities. Be kind to yourself during this process, it will be a bit of trial and error until you find what works best for you.
1. Use a Visual Timer
It's a good idea to have a visual timer handy for this transition as its a great way for children to see how much time is left of quiet time.
This can be done using a Time Timer, Sand Timer or also a day/night wake light.
P.s. You can turn the beep of the Time Timer off so that it doesn't beep and wake them if they do fall asleep.
2. Create a safe space
Ensure that where their rest time is taking place is a safe space. They should be free to explore the whole room wherever you choose for it to be and depending on their age and tendencies you'll want to remove choking hazards and ensure furniture is secured to the wall.
3. Choose activities together
The toys and activities that will be used for rest time should be kept somewhere they don't have easy or regular access to on a daily basis during their regular play time.
You could put them in a big box, under a bed, on a shelf in a cupboard or the bedroom. It just depends where you have space in your home.
Inside this box will be a mix of different activities that they can choose from each day for rest time. Offer them the choice to pick a couple of activities and also a few books to take with them each rest time or you can rotate them every few days or week to keep it new and exciting for them.
Another tip is to observe your child's play and choose resources, concepts or activities that your child has been interested in recently.
For example my daughter loved puzzles so I included puzzles she could easily complete by herself.
Another time I noticed she was enjoying having a tea party with her doll so I put tea cups, plates, food and doll together in a box.
At another stage she kept making patterns so I paired the Grapat rings and coins with some cards I made showing the beginning of a pattern for her to complete.
Above she went through a stage of loving numbers so I paired flashcards and counting chips for her to sort.
Scroll down futher below for more on our favourite activities to offer for rest time.
4. Have a conversation
Have a talk with them to help them understand what rest time will be and the expectations that are involved.
Keep it simple, let them know that rest time is:
- Time for them to play quietly and independently
- In their own space
- Going to help them relax and recharge for the rest of the day
Your conversation should also let the know that it's okay if they don't want to sleep but that these are the options of what they can do instead as their body still needs time to relax so they have energy to play this afternoon.
5. Decide on something fun to do together afterwards
Make this something they really enjoy to reward them for completing quiet time. This might be painting, cooking, going for a walk or watching an episode of their favourite TV show.
6. Keep a consistent routine
Be consistent with your routine from when they were sleeping.
After lunch they would go into their bedroom for a sleep and this was the same time that we would go to their room for rest time even once they had fully dropped her day sleep.
We would go to the toilet (or change nappy), fill their water bottle, choose one or two activities together, pick some books, put on an audiobook, say our goodbyes and put the timer on just before leaving.
Transitioning or Beginning Rest Time
When she started to wake earlier in the afternoon from her day sleep than she used to I would offer her a basket of a few quiet activities for her to play with and set a timer for 15 mintues.
As this became more consistent we changed it to 30 minutes. This was a good amount of time for her to start with and set up a good routine for her when she dropped her day sleep altogether.
Please note: If your child dropped their day sleep but you didn't make a transition at that time they may not be familiar with that routine anymore. In this case I would reccommend transitioning them back into a rest time by starting with a very short quiet time of 15 minutes and working them up to a longer rest time over a few weeks by slowing adding 5 mintues every few days.
When she fully dropped her nap we transitioned her rest time to a full hour by slowing adding 5/10 minutes every few days.
Whilst getting used to the new routine of rest time expect some interuptions. You might find your child either comes to find you or calls out for you and that's okay!
Try not to get into a big conversation but let them know that they are doing well and how much longer is left of quiet time by showing them the time left on the timer and remind them what you are going to do together once rest time is finished. You should find that their interuptions decrease once they become more familiar with the new routine and playing independently.
Presenting Activities
When my children were younger we used to put the resources they selected together in a basket in their bedroom that we would pull out at rest time.
As they grew older they didn't always want to be on their bed so we started letting them choose an activity or two for the week and they would put it on a little tray table like the one below from Ikea. If the things were too big for this they would be placed in a basket beside the table.
Below are some creations my daughter made with Plus Plus on the table during a rest time.
Favourite Toys and Activities for Rest Time
Puzzles
Pick a puzzle that's not too many pieces for your child that it will be hard for them to complete and need your help.
Plus Plus
Plus Plus come in BIG and regular size to suit children of different ages. You can build offering them the instructions or as an open ended construction resources, it just depends what your child prefers.
Read more about Plus Plus and see links to download build ideas here.
Magnatabs
The Magnatabs are a great all in one activity that children can use to make patterns and words or work on their letter formation depending on which one in the range you choose!
Boogie Boards
Boogie Boards are great for drawing without all the bits and pieces or the worry of drawing on something they shouldn’t.
The Jot is all one piece with a black screen and the Magic Sketch is more transparent. Children can trace on the provided sheets or you can also make your own.
Read more about Boogie Board Differences and Play Ideas here.
Quiet Books
The range of Quiet Books includes many interactive pages encouraging hands on learning through many different scenes. My children loved using all the pieces and clips in these books!
Peg Boards
There are a few different kinds of peg boards. Here are two different ones. This first one is the Animo Mosaico Peg Board. It has pictures that you lay over the board and then put the pegs on top.
The Peg Brite is great in a dark space as you can turn on the light to light up the base. My children love this one during rest time snuggled up in their bed!
Design and Drill
Another is a similar concept to the above called the Design and Drill.
There are two kinds the Brightworks and Activity Centre. They both work in the same way with the electric drill and screws however the Brightworks has a light up base and the Activity Centre also has a hand drill.
Threading Set
The Geo Pegs set has a foam base with plastic pegs you can peg into the base. The same pieces can also be used to thread onto the supplied laces too!
Single Player Games
Rush Hour Junior is a great logic game! Simply place the vehicles into the tray as pictured on the different level cards and move them forwards and backwards until you can drive the ice cream truck out.
Buildzi can be done as a single player. My children love choosing a card and completing the stack. It can also be done together as a family game with up to four players.
Genius Square can be played as single or two player so another great option that always keep my children busy!
Take the grid and a set of coloured shapes and seven blockers.
Roll all dice and place the blockers on the numbers as shown on the dice and then fill the empty spaces on the grid to complete the square.
In Crankity you choose and build the puzzle solution between the red gear and the yellow wheel. When the gear teeth interlock, you'll be able to turn the wheel and send the whole contraption spinning!
Heap-O-Sheep is usually done as a multiplayer game but my children love playing during rest time as well. Simply give them some sheep and the enclosure to aim and fling the sheep into.
Forklift Frenzy is another one that can be done multiplayer or single player. Children are sure to enjoy trying to stack the pieces up in the same order as the cards and they can also do this as free play seeing how many they can stack and move around.
Creative
Depending on where and how old your children are you might also like to offer some craft activities.
These can be a fun addition to quiet time!
Favourite Open-Ended Combinations
These are some of my favourite resources to pair together in a container for simple, open ended invitations to play.
If you'd like some more inspiration to create more activities like these head on over to another blog, Creating an Invitation to Play.
Lucite Cubes & Kapla
These are a match made in heaven! The lucite cubes stack perfectly with Kapla for a building challenge. They also look beautiful when building in the sun with the sunlight shining through. The Kapla Challenge cards area another great one to pair together for a quiet activity.
Animal Figurines & Blocks
Animals and blocks are a perfect combination for some small world play making a farm, zoo, catergorising the animals such as where they live. Children are sure to explore and discover many opportunities with these.
Connetix Tiles, Cars & Peg People
Children will love building houses and cities with the Connetix Tiles.
Include some cars, peg people like the Grapat Nins or their favourite character figurines.
This is a larger scale activity but is often a hit! This is a house my daughter built with Connetix Tiles and Bluey figurines.
Loose Parts
Children are sure to get creative with a range of different loose parts.
We love our Grapat pieces and often use the Mandala pieces for this as well as the pieces from our well loved Nins, Rings and Coins set.
Squigz, Pom Poms & Tongs
This is a quick and easy fine motor activity. Squigz stick down well onto a baking tray and they can use the tongs to pick up and balance the pom poms.
Squigz are also alot of fun on windows or mirror wardrobe doors!
Books
Along with the toys and activities listed above we always offered books and audio books as well.
Their favourite books were search and find books, lift the flap and anything that extended on their current interests.
Chameleon Reader
They also loved using their Chameleon Reader, listening to recorded stories read by us.
If you aren't already familiar with them you simply stick the Chameleon stickers onto the pages of their favourite books, record yourself (or relatives/friends) reading and then tap the Chameleon stickers it will play the recorded audio.
You can also make music and libraries of their favourite songs and stories.
Read more about the Chameleon Reader on this blog.
I hope that this blog has given you some tips and ideas to get started with implementing a rest time in your home! As always please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, I'm always happy to help :)
- Alison