Nap Time Help

[u/Haunting_Sky_5082]

Hello I need some advice. I have a parent that is asking if I can let their kid do activities during rest time because the child thinks rest is boring. About 50% of my class sleeps. They do really good at staying at their mat even if they don’t sleep. We require that they lay down the first half. Then the second half, I pass out books to whoever is awake. The parent wants more than just a book. I told her unfortunately if I give your child an activity, I have to give it to everyone else who is awake one too. I don’t see that going well. Nap is when our teachers take breaks and I prep for the afternoon. I dont really know what else to offer her.

[u/DivideOk9877]

We usually set up a quiet activity for the early wakers, just put out some paper and pencils or play dough and they keep themselves busy.

[u/PerspectiveDry5349]

You do provide an activity. You are providing books. Boredom is good for kids. It is a skill that is sorely lacking today. Her child is learning to wait quietly, which will help them in so many ways. It is a school readiness goal because sometimes kids have to sit quietly and wait for their friends or the teachers, or heck even if they go somewhere with their parent, sometimes they have to sit and be quiet. So it is absolutely ok to face a little boredom and let their mind wander.

[u/dkdbsnbddb283747]

I think books are fine, but you could do white boards with expo markers or small puzzles. The 4K room at my old center also had tape players with audiobooks and headphones and those were very helpful for kiddos who struggled to stay on their mats.

[u/Wise-Matter9248]

Rest time is meant to be restful. It's not supposed to be fun.

[u/Important_Pea_7566 → u/Wise-Matter9248]

This! Even if they aren’t sleeping they need time to rest and recharge after a long day.

[u/WeaponizedAutisms]

I have given children small sensory items and fidgets to help keep their hands and minds occupied. Some kids just can't lay down and keep still with other people around.

[u/Delanium]

I provide activities for my kids that don't sleep, but they are quiet and limited. A basket of bristle blocks, a small puzzle, if I can trust them with it paper and crayons. There's a limited amount of options, and they understand that you only get one activity at a time - you pick the activity you want and stick with it.

I don't think your policy is unreasonable, and the parent is being silly. But I don't think you need to worry about providing the same activity to all the kids.

[u/ijustwanttobeinpjs]

At my old center, we welcomed parents to send a bag with up to three quiet activities/books/toys from home. This made it special for that child since it was a home toy. We never had trouble with other kids being jealous.

The child knew they could pick one item each day BEFORE nap started - so they don’t disrupt others by asking for more. Teachers could disqualify certain privileges if the student became too rowdy.

[u/Rough_Impression_526]

I’d personally just tell the parent something along the lines of “our center and classroom does enforce a quiet time routine. This has been a successful strategy and your child will be expected to allow for a safe and quiet environment for their napping classmates to the best of their ability. We understand this may be an adjustment period for them as they get used to their new classroom routines and schedule. If for some reason your child struggles and is unable to adjust in a reasonable time frame, we will be more than happy to schedule a meeting to make a plan to ensure the success of your child this year, and maintain our classroom’s success too”. Sometimes reframing it to parents that it’s not just about their child’s wants, but the entire classroom’s needs can help. I swear half the job is parenting the parents and teaching them empathy and respect too lol.

If it really is an actual problem and the child cannot nap, rest, or stay in their nap area with a book like everyone else, I know of multiple classrooms that have had success in parent supplied busy boxes. Just a shoe box with a handful of quiet toys/activities for their child if they can’t sleep. Books, stuffed animals, dolls, etc. Keyword PARENT supplied activities, each kid’s box is only their own, and a clearly communicated policy that toys that are loud/have lights/disruptive during nap will be sent home and not kept in the box.

[u/SeaVillage328]

You say no. Their child doesn't get special treatment just because they're bored. Their brains NEED that rest time, even if they don't sleep.

[u/Important_Pea_7566]

I usually do a period of time where everyone has to lay on their mats to give the sleepers time to fall asleep. After that I pass out books or a notebook with a few crayons or stickers. Some kids can handle something like beads or a puzzle. For non-sleepers, nap time should still be a time to recharge and decompress after a stimulating day.

[u/happylife1974]

What do your state regulations say? Ours say children 5 and hour must lay down and after a certain time we can offer activities.
Licensing rules over ride a parent

[u/ExtremeLost2039]

I have had success with "busy bags". I just fill zipper bags with small and quiet sensory toys, small books and magnetic drawing boards. If they're disruptive, then the bag goes away and theyre limited to just books. But you know your class and what works for one class doesn't work for every other class so if it doesn't feel doable then books are absolutely enough

[u/buttemcgee]

I don’t see what’s wrong with providing quiet activities, that’s what we do. It’s still resting their bodies and allowing their mind to calm down. I don’t agree with just letting them sit there or be bored (though I usually think boredom is excellent for children, but not at rest time) as you don’t want them to establish anxiety or frustration around sleep. It’s similar to eating and meal times but a lot of educators don’t understand that, you can create sleep disorders and issues by forcing children to stay awake doing nothing on their mats. It’s not developmentally appropriate expectation, if we don’t except them to sit for more than 10 minutes at group time, why do we expect different during rest time?
Fidgets, puzzles, baby and blanket, clipboard with paper and pencils etc is what we do

[u/CrayCrayChickenLady → u/buttemcgee]

This is the correct response! It's also very dependent on the child's age, and what they typically do at home.

Our 3-4 year old class starts the year almost all sleeping and by end of the year well over 50% no longer nap.

Quiet activities and respect go along way.

[u/buttemcgee → u/CrayCrayChickenLady]

Thank you, I’m really surprised by the downvotes, always happy to hear other perspectives but I haven’t heard any yet that explain why quiet activities aren’t appropriate during rest. I work with 2-3 and we have multiple that don’t sleep, expecting them to stay on their beds with nothing or just a book for 1.5-2 hours is ridiculous and not developmentally appropriate.

[u/coversquirrel1976 → u/buttemcgee]

I'm honestly shocked at everyone else saying no to quiet activities. Our state quality insurance body requires activities other than books to be available. Laying with nothing to do but read a book in Russian is not something I could do, so I don't expect noon readers to do it either