Hello All,
I have a passion for Rest Time, and believe it deserves a place in the lesson planing as much as any other part of the day. I never used the word nap, as nap creates fear in the hearts of children. They wonder what you are doing when they have to nap. Rest was promoted as a healthy habit for everyone, A time to disengage the muscles and engage the senses. For my classroom of Geoducks it began when they crossed the carpet/vinyl line after lunch to find I had laid out their rest things with an activity on their mat. A one piece activity that is kept only for this time of day. The lights on the carpet side of the room are off, and it is a time for whisper voices. I set the tone by moving slower than I normally did, and whispering myself. When all were there, I collected the activity, and we did a yoga position or a meditation together, then I went to each child asking if they wanted to be covered and wished them a peaceful rest. We sang or sang and signed a lullaby together, snuggled down and had a story on tape or read a chapter in a book. Sleep was a choice, rest was not. After a period of time, those awake went to quiet activities at the tables being respectful of those who slept. All but 2 or 3 of my 20 Geoducks slept and many days everyone did. If they trust the environment and feel safe, they usually will relax enough to allow themselves to fall asleep. Quiet table activities are things that can be used by one child and not make noise when it hits the table. Rest time is a time of day like no other.
Donna Simon
Early Childhood Program Specialist 3
Assistant Director
Campus Children's Center
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, Washington
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Donna Simon
Olympia WA
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-02-2021 01:02 PM
From: Erin Geiger
Subject: Rest time for Pre-K
Looking for ideas to support children who no longer nap during rest time. Our licensing requires we provide min 1 hour to max 2 hour rest time daily, and in our pre-K rooms we have combinations of children who still physically need the nap and children who have outgrown. We've tried individual quiet activities on cots for those not sleeping, but looking for additional ideas/suggestions. Staffing and building spacing make it challenging to simply remove those who don't sleep each day. Thanks in advance for any ideas you've found to work :)
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Erin Geiger
Doctoral Candidate/Assistant Director GMU CDC
George Mason University
Fairfax VA
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