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Quiet Time Questions


joannqn
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If you do quiet time in your house....

 

How long does it last?

 

What are the kids allowed to do during quiet time?

 

If they fall asleep, do you wake them when the time is up?

 

I'm hoping the 3 year old will sleep. If she doesn't, I'm not sure what she'd do. I don't know how my 5 year old can pass that time since he is super active/loud and can't read. My 11 and 12 year olds can probably read, draw/color, or do a quiet hobby.

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We have QT from 1:30-3:00 daily, which we have been doing since my oldest started resisting naps, probably before she was 3.

 

I keep only quiet toys in the rooms, and they can play with anything they have in there, plus they can ask to take other things in. Books seem good even before reading, but without direct supervision, stick to board books under 5yos. Stuffies, dolls, doll clothes, puzzles, play sets (like a zoo or castle or doll house), and large-piece construction sets are all good too.

 

Be prepared for some degree of creative experimentation while they are alone, and you will need to alongside-model cleaning up after things get chaotic in there some days.

 

Audio books seem to be very restful.

 

If the are noisy I would warn them, then take away the offending toy, then tell them if they couldn't handle a QT, I would put them for a nap instead.

 

Depending on the child's sleep needs, I might let a sleeping child continue for a while, or open their door and be noisy to wake them "naturally" -- too much afternoon sleep has the potential to lead to bedtime troubles, but a sleepy child does need that need met... So I play it by ear.

 

 

I don't allow any drawing or colouring tools yet (my oldest is 8) because impulse control is much harder for children when they know they are unobserved.

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I always had special toys put away for school, and the younger kids were allowed to pick one for quiet time. That's how my 3 yr olds entertained themselves. Things like Lauri stacking pegs, lacing cards, and wooden blocks. Usually my 3 yr old would fall asleep after awhile. I did not wake him up.

 

Quiet time used to be around 2 hours but now that my kids are older, I've had to trim it down to 1 hour since we usually still have school stuff to finish in the afternoon.

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They have to be on their beds, quiet. They can read books or draw. My three share a room, so I have to say no toys because inevitably they end up playing too loudly. My 8yo never sleeps, he usually just reads. My 5yo can't read but will quietly look at books. He still falls asleep once or twice a week. My 3yo can choose whether to sleep in her bed or come lay down with me- I have a rest as well. She always falls asleep. Our rest time is for an hour, but I do not wake them if they fall asleep.

 

I've been debating audiobooks now that my 5yo has stopped napping as much, but I'm afraid it would keep him awake and sometimes he still needs his sleep.

 

If I have to go tell them to be quiet it is usually my 5yo. He earns a longer rest if I have to go in more than once.

 

We have been doing this for several years now. It was a bit of a battle in the beginning, so worth it!

 

 

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