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Nap time quiet activities

  • 1.  Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-18-2020 05:41 PM
    I work in a 3's and 4's class and I have a lot of non-nappers, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays when we have kids that only attend 2x per week. Because of ratios and break times, the children cannot leave their beds during nap time. After a mandatory "rest time" I give the non-sleepers books but they flip through them quickly and then start getting up to get new ones or play w whatever is near them. I am looking for quiet activities that will keep them busy but can be done on their mats. Any ideas? Thank you!

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    Melanie Angle
    Preschool Teacher
    YMCA
    San Diego CA
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  • 2.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-19-2020 12:24 AM
    Melanie, can you put on audio stories on CD for the 3s and 4s? Audible used to have collections of stories that buyers can purchase. I wonder if Hoopla or other digital companies have free audio stories or poems for young children too. Some libraries have stories on CDs. I used to put age-appropriate stories and classical music for the kindergartners. The children loved listening to the stories, and for the ones who were not interested, they fell asleep.

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    Ling Lee
    Evanston IL
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  • 3.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-19-2020 06:37 AM
    Some of our teachers give the children clipboards with paper or journals and crayons or colored pencils.  I had some strings with chunky beads that I pulled out just for nap time.  We have a teacher that has miniature magna doodles, and many have nap time bags or boxes with manipulatives in them.  I hope that helps!

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    Elizabeth Weller
    Director
    Park Place Children's Center
    Anderson IN
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  • 4.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-19-2020 07:48 AM
    Hello Melanie,

    If you do not want children to leave cot, you can do a version of a "quiet bag".  The rule is you can do any of the activities in the bag but must be quiet and stay on cot.  This might work for you. Some items you may want to put in it are: small/finger puppets, favorite stuffed animal(s), lift and erase board, small books, sewing cards, kaleidoscope, and a magnifying glass with some interesting objects such as a shell.  If you do not mind children leaving cot, crayons always work, cd's with headphones, soft cubes, etc. can work in a special area/basket reserved only for nap time.
    I hope this helps spark your imagination.....

    Gina James

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    Gina James
    Teacher
    NYCDOE
    Williston Pk NY
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  • 5.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-19-2020 08:15 AM

    My classroom is in the same situation, we have a table in the middle of the class that we put quiet activities on and invite them one at a time to pick an activity. We use fabric pencil cases, each one with a different material like dominoes, legos, letter tiles and word cards, colored manipulatives, there are a few small puzzles or matching games and a few cups with crayons and paper. We try to switch it up after a few months to keep interest alive. We also started letting them work together in pairs on their mats as long as they are whispering, which has helped keep them engaged for longer periods. Hope you find the right solution that works for you class!! 

    Caitlin Curtis
    Lead Teacher
    Portland, Or 



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    Caitlin Curtis
    Lead Teacher
    Joyful Noise Child Development Center
    Portland OR
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  • 6.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-19-2020 08:17 AM
    We give each student a book and a lacing card. They can use either or both and gives them a choice.

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    Deborah Kresal
    Teacher
    Office of the Pima County School Superintendent
    Tucson AZ
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  • 7.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-19-2020 08:55 AM
    We keep a basket of clip boards and pencils ready which many kids love to use at their mats. We've also found wicki sticks to be fun and novel way to play alone for 15 minutes or so. Magnadoodles boards or small dry erase boards are good too. We;ve used 12 x 12 felt boards with flannel characters at times as well.  We move from individual play to partner whisper play (allow two kids to join mats and play together with whispers).

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    Carol Murray
    Bard Nursery School
    Red Hook NY
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  • 8.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-19-2020 11:50 AM
    Magnadoodles! That's genius, I have a small stash from dollar tree that they love to use so I will add those in my naptime rotation! Wiki sticks is a great one too. Thank you all for the suggestions!

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    Melanie Angle
    Preschool Teacher
    YMCA
    San Diego CA
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  • 9.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-20-2020 03:47 PM
    Melanie, this is a real dilemma.  It would be better for the children if they had someplace to go where they could do more active play, but often staffing levels make that impossible.  We used to let them get up and play quietly at the table after all the children who were likely to sleep had gotten soundly asleep.  In another classroom I had, we were able to sit with a few children just outside the door, where they didn't have to be quite so quiet.

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    [Meg] [Thomas]
    [Early childhood consultant
    Co-facilitator for Diversity and Equity Interest Forum
    [St Paul ] [MN]
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  • 10.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-19-2020 08:29 PM
    Melanie,
    Our preschool room asked parents to gather quiet activities that interest their children and bring them in for nap time! This has seemed to work very well, they are excited about their activities and rest their bodies while engaging in their activity. The parents also loved getting involved. I have found that some parents are a bit nervous as to what happens during nap time. This assures them that the children are spending there resting time appropriately.
    I am not sure if you have the same problem, but some children could not see what they were doing in the dark. We purchased cheap reading lights for the non-sleepers. We modeled the use of the lights and tend to clip them to accessible and appropriate places such as a cabinet, the back of a chair etc. so it does not have to be moved by the children.
    I hope this helps!

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    Alexis Brown
    Boston University Children's Center
    Stoneham MA
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  • 11.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-20-2020 07:48 AM

    I believe the concept of "quiet time" has been missed in many programs. It should be a time when children are given the opportunity to rest not only their bodies, but their minds too. Giving them activities to do during quiet time does not help them rest, calm their minds and self-regulate.

    I teach 3-5 year old kiddos in my program and we adhere to a very strict quiet time. Each child is required to prepare their mat with their bedding, book and whatever cuddle friend they choose to have. They start by laying flat on their backs and covered if they choose. We listen to meditative stories through a variety of streaming services. After about 15 minutes of stories, we play meditative music throughout the remaining quiet time. Inevitably, every child goes to sleep or is so quiet and calm you can hear a pin drop.

    Granted, many children this age are outgrowing their naps and this is expected. However, it is our responsibility to help them learn how to self-calm, slow their little Ever Ready Bunny minds down and enjoy the time to themselves. Giving them stimulating activities to do when they should be resting does not a rested child make. (Calm offers some great sleep stories for all ages and Bedtime Explorers can be found on Spotify).



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    Jacqueline Crocker
    Owner/Director
    The New School Studio
    Overland Park KS
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  • 12.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-20-2020 09:24 AM
    Good Point Jacqueline.   Definitely something to think about!  Gina James

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    Gina James
    Teacher
    NYCDOE
    Williston Pk NY
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  • 13.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-20-2020 10:09 AM
    Jacque, I love your perspective on quiet and your rituals around rest. This is such a good discussion and brings to question how we hold values for silence, solitute, regulation in full day programs.  The conversation also shows how care is a pedagogy -one that we all give such careful thought and intention.  We do a similar transition and do not give out the solitary play items until about 40 minutes into the rest period. Perhaps we haven't been solid enough in our goals to help each child settle into complete stillness - I wonder about this piece - but I do think there is value in playing alone and i do believe quiet activties like a clilp board or magnadoodle can be meditative and not overstimulating. We have also had discussions about music or not music. We've actually had some children complain about music and found that afternoons of silence can be preferred. I've also found that the meditative recorded stories can be overstimulating to some children while relaxing to others.  I can relate to this as I am not a person who likes background recorded music due to my own sensory style.  Some programs use white noise - I've heard that is controversial too.   In NYState it was made clear in the new regulations that alternative activities should be provided for non nappers because it had been brought to light that many programs were inforcing strict and stern rest periods that were deemed too long and developmentally inappropriate for the children who had outgrown naps. Also, parents in some programs were complaining that the rest period was too long and too late in the day causing difficulty with evening bedtime rituals. There is so much to consider when designing a program that meets so many different needs and I have found that some years we have children with such limited self regulation skills that nap time requires extra adults to model calm and stillness - which is also a challenge given a full days program need to schedule lunch breaks and prep time for teachers in the afternoon.  This discussion around rest and nap practice is dynamic and ever changing in our program. Integrating sound pedagogy and practice around rest, meals, dressing, toileting requries such careful intentions and plans and individualization. Child care is not something "just anyone" can do - it requires us to know many things and I respect and appreciate everyone who is doing this amazing work in human development.

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    Carol Murray
    Bard Nursery School
    Red Hook NY
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  • 14.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-20-2020 07:52 AM
    In our full-day grant-funded programs, we have used quiet bins to allow the children to play while still staying on their cots.  Rest Time (we don't call it Nap Time because no one has to sleep and some children associate naps with being a baby) begins with instrumental music being played in the darkened classroom as the children return from going to the bathroom.  Then, after 25-30 minutes a teacher will turn on the twinkle lights above our upper cabinets on the long wall of our classroom and begin handing out quiet bins to those children who are still awake.  The bins are from the dollar store and stack neatly in a couple of our odd-shaped lower cupboards.  The contents of the bins vary but foam blocks have always been a favorite.  Other ideas:  hexagon connecting blocks, tinker toys, fuzzy pipe cleaner animal creation parts, crayons and clipboards, pattern blocks and small pattern templates, Legos, Duplo blocks (large Legos).  Once our Rest Time is over, children put away the toys in their quiet bins and then the children put the quiet bins away in the cupboards before putting away their Rest Time blankets and cots.  Books are also available as a choice and are chosen when children put their cots in the classroom before they go to the bathroom.  Our quiet bins have really reduced the noise and movement around the classroom during Rest Time.

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    Denise Swanson
    Fenton World of Wonder
    Fenton MI
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  • 15.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-22-2020 11:16 AM
    Nap Time Delima,
    At our center nap time in the 3-5 year room is challenging. However, a parent sent their child in with a book in which the child can practice their letters, and numbers and other pre-kindergarten activities.  The rule is the children must lay quietly for an hour, by then the sleepers will be sleep and sometimes the non-nappers fall asleep, also.
    However, what has been happening is the non-napper will not lye quietly and then distracts children who would normally fall asleep.  The children are also allowed to get books if they haven't fallen asleep within the hour, but that leads to the constantly wanting to switch books. I go to the library each week to get books that the children aren't as familiar with, but even that doesn't distract them for long. I clearly understand the "Nap Time Delima."

    Debbie S.

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    Debra Still
    Assistant Teacher
    Kids Korner
    Philadelphia PA
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  • 16.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 02-27-2020 02:10 PM
    Email me or call my cell.  I have some ideas for you :)

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    Jennifer W. Hardy
    Association Program Specialist
    San Diego, CA
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  • 17.  RE: Nap time quiet activities

    Posted 03-06-2020 05:25 AM
    Rest time is always seems to be one of those trouble areas.  I have used foam blocks as well.  I have some with numbers on them that connect like puzzle pieces that I got at the Dollar store.  Another teacher at my school has these felt books with a pocket in the front with felt pieces that the children can put on different pages in the book.  I am not sure where she got it but if you or a family member likes to sew, that would be an easy enough project that could be made.  I also have these small bags with tiny toys (big enough that they aren't a chocking hazard) but just random tiny toys sorted by category (i.e. frogs, dinosaurs, dolls) kids can choose which bag they want to play with on their mat.  Hope this helps.

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    Vivian Perreault
    Preschool Teacher
    Penquis Child Development
    Winterport ME
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