Suggestions for "Quiet Time" when kids share a room

[edeemarie]

I really love the idea of everyone having a break in the afternoon to be on their own, but the problem is that we don't have enough bedrooms! So if you have a similar situation, how do you resolve this? We have 3 bedrooms and 4 kids, and ideally I would like the kids to stay out of our bedroom. So would it work if I put 2 in a room together, or does that defeat the purpose? Any suggestions would be helpful because I am really feeling the need for more of an afternoon break!!!

[brehon]

Divide and conquer, as it were. I put the youngers in beds and the olders on a couch, recliner, etc. I stay in the den or living room. Now, my eldest doesn't really have quiet time now as he's older and his schoolwork takes longer.

 

[laf919]

We have had a friend watch our 2 kids with her 3 kids one day a week in the summers for the last few years while I worked one day a week.....she has them all have 30 minutes of "FOB" time....FOB stands for "feet on bed/bunk" - the kids can be in the same room, but each on his/her own bed/bunk/couch and no talking. I think if you enforce the no talking rule, you can have them in the same room. Might it make it easier to put your oldest and youngest together for this? I know often in situations like yours the youngest 2 share a room - but for this, particularly if it's new - putting older kids with youngers might make sense.

I also think they don't all have to be in bedrooms. Again, your older ones could be on a couch in the living room or something. I think the key is everyone occupied individually and quiet....however that works!

[Um_2_4]

I will be listening for ideas..

We have 2 bedrooms that they share(I also would like to keep them out of mommy's room). It didn't work to put them together, and if one is "downstairs" with mom, they all want to be. My 2 girls can sit on their beds and read, but usually end up talking, and the boy's forget it... DS3 is bouncing around on the bed.

Right now what is working is putting DS3 on the couch in the family room with a video (I know, I know!) and DS9 gets his room to himself, kinda works, but not perfect. But momma needs her sanity!

[Isabella]

We had 2 bedrooms, and 3 kids. I had one use my room, one their room, and one on the couch. They swapped around from day to day. I enforced quiet time - either sleeping, resting, or reading. It worked really well. I got much needed sanity break, and they seemed to need that quiet time, too. I would either do some other work in the house, or just relax on the recliner.

[Clarkd]

We split up the break. Two have a break with two doing work quietly at the table then the other two take their rest. It isn't a full Mom break. but it is better than running from room to room shushing them.

[edeemarie]

Thank you all for some wonderful suggestions! I am sure I will have to just try different things until we find something that works.

 

One more question. Do you still enforce quiet time in the summer? We school year round so we will still be doing school, but I don't want to deprive them of outdoor play.

[walkermamaof4]

Maybe this is a bit off topic, but I have found that really good books on tape help make QT go more smoothly.

[Isabella]

Maybe this is a bit off topic, but I have found that really good books on tape help make QT go more smoothly.

 

 

Oh yes, I completely forgot about this! We did this too - especially when they were older and in the summer when it was hot. The living room had the only air conditioner, so they all laid about on the couches or mattresses, and would listen to a classical audio book. Honestly, these were some of the best times. I look back with such fondness on those quiet times with kids listening with rapt attention. Our sessions would last from 1-1.5hrs.

 

 

Thank you all for some wonderful suggestions! I am sure I will have to just try different things until we find something that works.

 

One more question. Do you still enforce quiet time in the summer? We school year round so we will still be doing school, but I don't want to deprive them of outdoor play.

 

 

See comment above. We often schooled year round too, and I think it's even more important then to have that regular break scheduled. They can still have outdoor time, but just in the afternoon when school is done - it'd be cooler then too, that being outside in the heat of the day.

 

My kids had to be up by 7am, breakfast and rooms clean by 8am, then they could play outside till 9am when school started. So they got some morning play as well as having 3-4hrs outside in the afternoon when school was done by about 3pm. Chores were scheduled as part of school time (only 20-30mins each), so their time was their own in the afternoon, apart from coming in for dinner, then straight back out.