nmariec23 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 DD 2.5 and DD 4.5 have outgrown naptime and I'm not ready to give up the break in my day. I need it for my own sanity! I saw SWB talk about quiet time on youtube and like the idea of having a mandatory quiet time for everyone in the house, even my 12 yo ds. I'm looking for suggestions for quiet time games, toys, books, audio books, etc. for the younger two. Any favorites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 For my young 3yo, the Tag Reader and its books have been great for Quiet Time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballardlm Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 My son is almost 2. He still naps 9 times out of 10, but on some days he doesn't nap. On the days he doesn't nap he plays quietly in his room for at least an hour, sometimes 2. I leave him a basket of picture books and a basket of stuffed animals. That's it. I've found that for him, more toys actually overstimulates him and he gets wound up and starts making loud noise and banging on the door. He plays with his stuffed animals, looks at the books, talks to himself, sings to himself. I think for quiet time, less is more. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristin0713 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 We do "reading/resting" time. They can play with whatever they want quietly in their rooms as long as they are not being disruptive and don't leave their room. DD usually reads or plays with her dolls/dollhouse. DS will look through books, listen to audio books, build with Legos, play with his little action figure guys... Sometimes I need to give him suggestions. Around when DS was 2.5 and quit napping was when we started this and at that point it was just a few board books on his bed and he had to stay on his bed. It wasn't until he was closer to 4yo that he could entertain himself in his room with toys without causing a big problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dovrar Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 listen to a book on tape? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Way of My People Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 In our experience, the fewer toys/games available during nap time the better. Both our boys have a two hour quiet time after lunch. They do it in separate rooms, with only books and a handful of stuffed animals available. The point, for us, is to have them calm down, rest, and learn to be by themselves for a while. Whenever I let one bring a toy or two into the room, I regret it because it keeps him distracted and almost always results in him coming out of the room, being loud, being grumpy and demanding by the end of nap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tawlas Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 We have quiet time daily here too. I have quiet time toys on a set of shelves in my closet and they choose a few each day. My only limit on the choices is for the younger, he's three, cuase if he chooses too many things with lots of little peices, it's a disaster! Some of our items are: Duplo Lego (will upgrade to reg Lego this Christmas!) Marble maze Cars movie cars puzzles Little fishing game Fisher price Aquarium (3 yo still loves this lol) Lincoln logs Special pop up or fold out books Melissa and Doug cutting veggies Different magnet sets and a cookie tray Extra little pieces to the rocket ship playset Magneatos Barn and animals playset Old fashioned metal tractor and trailer Metal crane with working pulley system Shoe box of dinosaurs Cash register and pretend money and food Melissa and Doug large beading set Mr Potato Head set Wooden Melissa and Doug shape and letter puzzle type sets Peg board Math type manipulatives like pattern sets and busy bugs and scale My older son (5) also has access to our Art Box, just a box filled with random paper, smelly markers, bingo dabbers, glitter, glue, scissors, etc as well as the train tracks and blocks during quiet time. Have to add that my kids don't have access to a ton of toys, just a few basics (blocks and trains, cars and balls, blankies and stuffies) on a regular basis and a few other things rotated out. I find anything with a lot of little peices that easily get scattered and lost in regular day is a great fit for the more focused, solitary quiet time play. My 5 yo has LOVED books on cd for some time now (especially Hank the Cowdog and Magic Treehouse) so you might want to try that too. Hope that helps lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visitor Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I also have the same problem I am going to follow this topic . Hihi I need some me time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 L is 4 and so her quiet time is: paper dolls, felt board, hidden picture books, reading (lookin at the pics), I spy bags, coloring, board games, sensory box. ETC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelmama1209 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 books, leapsters, 1 or 2 barbies, pencil/crayons and paper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Mine have an hour or 1.5 hours in their rooms for rest time every afternoon. They can play with whatever they want, so long as they keep the volume reasonable. My daughter generally colors or makes elaborate homes for her stuffed animals. DS4 still often naps, but if he's not tired, he'll look at books or play cars. DS5 is my wild man. He wrestles (with himself, LOL), plays with his castle, swings from his rings, comes out to complain to me about rest time, etc. It's a work in progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Wow, I'm amazed that you guys have 1.5-2 hr. quiet times! I was feeling like mean-mom for our 30 minute rest time that we're trying to get started. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItoLina Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 My 2year old has recently stopped napping daily as well. She will sit for a long time with her Magnadoodle. She calls it her IPAD. She makes up stories and talks to herself while she draws little doodles on it ans "writes" stories. It has been my best thrift store find. She will also play a long time with her my little ponies. My 5 year old will flip though a picture book for a good long while. His train set also works well for quiet time. Honestly I think it is more about building the habit in them than what toys you give them. I started with 15 minutes. Now I can get about an hour out of them...long enough to get a workout in :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyerin Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Wow, I'm amazed that you guys have 1.5-2 hr. quiet times! I was feeling like mean-mom for our 30 minute rest time that we're trying to get started. :p I was feeling mean when I decided to try to extend it from an hour to 1.5 hours, but it has been SO GOOD. We did a gradual lengthening, and it gives so much peace to our afternoons. It's good for my kids, who are all SO close in age, to have a break from one another, too. SWB says to aim for 2 hours! I'm comfortable at 1.5, but don't feel mean for making it longer than 30 min! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyrobynne Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 listen to a book on tape? :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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