How do you get kids to lay still and/or even go to sleep for rest time?

Question

I have a preschool class made up of 19 four year olds. Most of them are good about laying down for rest time, but there are a couple of kids who insist on moving around, bothering the others and making as much noise as possible. It's hard for me to keep up with because I have one student who absolutely needs me to lay next to him. He requires one on one attention for rest time because he's more rambunctious and aggressive than all the other kids, however is relatively easy to get to sleep if I'm with him. There is another teacher assigned to the room, but she's not around much of the time so I have the class to myself a lot. We have relaxing music that we play during that time and for most of the kids it helps. Any hints you may have about how to get these 2 or 3 kids to lay quietly when everybody else is trying to sleep would be helpful. Thanks!

Answer 1

put on a movie for them to watch, it will make them tired and keep them from moving alot

Answer 2

err...

Send a letter home asking if you can spike their warm milk with whisky!

OK, that was a joke. Play a lulaby, give them warm milk, keep the heating on high and hide all the games. And give them a really long run around before nap time.

Answer 3

I'm a preschool teacher as well. When some of the kids can't sleep I try the following:

1.Rub their backs

2. GIve them a book to look at quietly

3. Sometimes I have a quiet snack

4. I have a small nap box that includes quiet activities like crayons and a notebook, piece of playdough, a discovery bottle (like an ocean bottle with colorful tidbits inside they can shake),  some felt shapes, puppet, and a magnifying glass.

Usually one of those makes them sleep and if not ,at least I tell them they have to sit on their cot quietly while they use the nap box. I had a student last year that would play with the nap box for about 20 minutes and then fall asleep.

Hope you find something that works

Answer 4

Get the Indigo Dreams CD.  It's wonderfully relaxing stories and music, and tell the children to breath with the music.  You might also try telling them they don't need to sleep, they just need to rest quietly for a little while.  They'll probably listen to the CD and fall right to sleep, as long as they know they don't have to!

Answer 5

You could tell them that if they all fall asleep for the required time, you would give them treats when the time is up. Hope that helped!!

Answer 6

elephant tranquilizer

Answer 7

well u can tell them lets play a gameb to see who falls askleep first, read a book, tell them they will get a treat if they fall asleep all i have

Answer 8

i ACTUALLY HAVE A 7 YEAR OLD AND WHEN HE WAS IN 5K I HAS SEPERATION AXIETY SO I STAYED AT THE SCHOOL AND HELPED THE TEACHER LIKE ALL THE TIME-ESPECIALLY NAP TIME. tHE WAY I SEE IT IS SOME KIDS JUST WONT TAKE NAPS...SO TO FIGURE OUT WHO IS JUST BEING STUBBORN AND WHO IS JUST NOT GOING TO COMPLY YOU HAVE TO START LAYING WITH THE OTHER "WILD ONES" FIRST. SAVE THE "HARDEST FOR LAST" AND TRY TO SAVE HIM OR HER SOME "QUIET" WORK UNTIL YOU CAN GET THE REST OF THE CLASS TO SLEEP THEN YOU WILL HAVE THAT SPECIAL TIME WITH THE ONE THAT NEEDS IT...HOPE THAT HELPS!~THE TREAT IDEA IS GOOD BUT TRY USING IT AS A "BUILD STICKERS ALL WEEK..AND FRIDAY WHOEVER GOT STICKERS ALL WEEK GET A PRIZE!"

Answer 9

BOOKS ON TAPE!!!

They saved my sanity when I worked in the 4 year old room at a day care center.  I'd go to the library and check them out myself.

Kids that were tired would drift off, others would just rest and listen to the story.  You could put the kids less likely to fall asleep closer to the tape and those that sleep further away where it is quieter.  I'd also let kids pick 2-3 books to take to their cots with them to look at quietly when the book on tape story was over.  They had to rest, they had to be quiet, but they did not have to sleep.

I know personally, then when I'm not tired, laying still and resting in a quiet dark room DRIVES ME NUTS!!  And I'm an adult.  so I can only imagine what it is like for kids that don't want to nap.

I agree that yes, 4 years old need some down time.  But No, not everyone needs to nap.  My daughter outgrew her naps at 3 1/2.  I could get her to have quiet time playing quietly in her room, but nap...no way.   So I was happy with that.   If you keep trying to put a square peg in a round hole you and the kids will go nuts.

Answer 10

Well i would either, put a movie on for them before they go to sleep.(a long one like "finding Nemo") or let the child that needs u with him sleep then leave and take care of the other children, or seperate them from the other children and eachother and put them in corners or something and watch them, or tell them you'll give them a treat if they'll go to sleep and when they wake up give them a carrot and tell them there candy carrots with choclate in them, or tell them to go to sleep or you'll call there parents (Mom, or Dad) hope that helps!

Answer 11

Try doing an activity that gets their brains and body moving about an hour before their naptime, followed by an activity that transitions them into naptime. Soft music seems to help too at the pre-school I work at (a Montessori school).

Also, some children are just generally energetic and have natural difficulty sleeping. Try telling him/her to nap for about 15 minutes at first, then slowly add 5-10 minutes every few days to that original 15 minutes until they develop a routine.

Also, after lunchtime seems to be the best way for them to take their naps.

Good luck!

Answer 12

well for one you shouldnt be in the class alone with 19 4 yr olds..atleast in my state thats against the law...but your going to need to rub their backs..that helps a lot and if you do that and they dont fall asleep they arnt going to..make sure they are tired before nap..at the daycare i worked at we took them outside after lunch for 30 mins and then came in and layed down...kids that didnt nap and there are kids who dont nap got nap time quiet toys..you cant make a child go to sleep..