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View Full Version : Suggestions for a 3 year old



Spixie33
03-15-2012, 06:05 PM
I have a 3 year old who seems to really reject nap time. They are just newly 3. I am worried that this will mean that the next 1.5 years will mean no nap time/break for me. Working 10 hours straight through without any peace and quiet has me worried.
I have tried to tell them that you still need to stay on the mat and have quiet time if theyt don't sleep but it doesn't work well. If I give them toys on their mat then they get louder and louder as they play

Momof4
03-16-2012, 10:14 PM
I had my grandson here for the past week for his March break week, he's in JK and doesn't nap at school. I told him that he had to lay down just like he used to when he was in my daycare for naptime. He tossed and turned for the first hour and slept for the second hour pretty much every day but he knew that he had to be quiet for his friends. Teach the children respect for their friends and that you are firm on the naptime/quiet time rule and they will learn. It takes time and a lot of effort for a while but then once you get your point across to them you will be able to have your quiet time. I understand how important it is to have that peace in the middle of the day. We work such long days!

jodaycare
03-16-2012, 11:06 PM
In my handbook, it states that all children 5 and under MUST rest. I don't care if they sleep but they are on their beds during sleeptime. I don't give them toys or books either.

Inspired by Reggio
03-17-2012, 12:18 PM
Yup - quiet time is NOT an option here and it is clearly in my handbook that if you have outgrown REST TIME you have outgrown my program so that I do not have to deal with clients trying to ask me NOT to place their child down for a rest!

I do not care if they SLEEP but for at least an hour proceeding lunch they MUST rest quietly on their cot engaged in REST aka no noisy books with pages turning, no noisy puzzles or fidget toys - a resting body with a resting MIND for at least one hour .. my crew range from 1 - 6 years of age and my school age crew when here still REST and most actually SLEEP still even my son right up until he was 10 years of age when he could 'leave the house' during quiet time for the others and go to the park or library but until then he laid down on his bed in his room and read a book and was QUIET on PD days, March break and summer time just like everyone else was - this is my time to recharge MY battery and even I am often quiet either online network or reading my book or crafting or something ;)

When I was 'new' and trying to get all the new crew on board with this strange concept of RESTING one thing that worked for me was a 'wake up jar' .... the expectation was if everyone 'rested quietly' until nap time was over when we got up we could choose something from the wake up jar to do HOWEVER if I had to keep reminding them to lay down, to rest quietly on their cot, to stop TALKING on their cot and so forth than we could NOT choose something from the jar.... it worked like a charm and within a month everyone was SLEEPING during quiet time cause their bodies who had been 'resisting' nap and so parents though they did not 'need' them and stopped offering quiet time despite their 'obviously tired children' over time they reset their sleep need clocks back to napping and actually for most going to bed 'earlier and easier' because more sleep gets more sleep because an overtired child tends to have a hard time 'relaxing'.

The jar was full of things that took extra work for ME but lots of FUN for them to do and the natural consequence was if they did not REST to give me the TIME to get my chores done than we could not do the FUN stuff and they would just have to SIT with books and puzzles in the afternoon....worked like a charm and eventually I did not NEED the jar anymore because the long term crew TRAINED the younger crew as they joined the program and so forth.

Activities in the jar were MESSY art or sensory ... or getting to do something 'special' that only comes out at quiet time while they WEE BABES are sleeping longer than we rest ... like tiny choker toys and manipulative games and so forth ... the crew LOVES being seen as big enough to engage in these and getting a 'treat' that the under twos do not get to do.

mom-in-alberta
03-19-2012, 02:59 AM
That's a great idea for the older kids, who can understand a delayed reward concept. Thanks for sharing!!
:)