How i can help toddlers take a nap during preschool?

Question

I work at a preschool with toddlers and nap time seems to be the most difficult part of the day. Myselfand the other aide play soft music for them and we come around to rub their backsbut they area few that just will not settle down I even began reading them a story, any other suggestions? Please not smart remarks!

Answer 1

well , is there snack time before that?

try giving them warm or cold some gramh crackers.

after then ask them to go to napping spots turn the class room lights off. and read them a story softly or use the claming music again . a full stomach always work. but if it's a baby hold the baby close to heart and rock them gently they would they still in the womb.

Answer 2

I worked at a day care for almost 2 yeasr with children from ages 18 months to 26 months and I had 26 of them so my hands were full.  I usually had them excercise right before lunch time and what I mean by excercise is I would turn on some really up beat music and we would just dance and jump and run around the room and just all kinds of things to get them a little worn out and then lunch would come and they would eat and after they were all done with their food we would then turn out the lights and put on the soft calming music while they are having thier juice or milk.  Laying each one down according to sleep habits it really depends on how the child falls asleep if they usually fall asleep on thier own let them do so if they need to have thier back patted then you need wait for the ones who have a more difficult time falling asleep to pat them.  So let the one that fall asleep on thier own lay down first, then the ones that need a little bit of patting, then the difficult ones this will make it easier on you because by the time the difficult ones lay down the room is quiet and dark and all they hear is the calming music and they are more relaxed and it works trust me!!

Answer 3

My son attended a day care where nap usually followed lunch. Not every child slept, so they engaged those children in a quiet activity, or taken outside to play. "Making'  them sleep will most likely cause them to become rowdier. I would keep up the music and back rubbing. Good luck!

Answer 4

Try giving them a little exercise like playing so that they get tired

Answer 5

Naps should be taken immediately or soon after eating.  If you try to calm down children that have been running around and enjoying themselves (after a break) it will be difficult to settle down.  Look at your nap time and reschedule it, otherwise it will have no meaning....

Answer 6

structure your day so it's a progression of inactivity. Monitor snacks and  maybe even try a lil kid's yoga to relax them. Continue with soft music. try music with no word just animal sounds. Like birds crickets frogs and such. they even have them with ocean waves. ( I also had a hard time going to sleep and remember as soon as I did they's wake me up and I was always pissed)

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/Chronicle/...

http://www.yogakids.com/

You can buy cheap cds and dvd's at tjmax, walmart, marshalls etc. You can study poses in books from the library... plus it'll be fun for you and benefits the kids too.

Answer 7

Duct tape and/or horse tranquilizers.

Answer 8

Not every child is going to take a nap, maybe due to their sleeping patterns at home. Maybe ask them to bring in their own stuff animal to take naps with them.

Answer 9

You have to let go a little. Not all children need the same amount of sleep.  You seem to have tried the most effective methods. In NY the day care regulations require that infants and toddlers sleep on their own schedules, not yours. Try and find an alternate place for the ones who are not ready to sleep and provide them with quiet activities.

     Alos consider that some of those kids might have been ready to nap earlier and by keeping them up you've made them overtired and unable to sleep!

Answer 10

Give them some milk and tell them to go to the bathroom before taking a nap. Don't want any accidents know what I mean? You know what I mean? ha ha ha

Answer 11

Look at the schedule of your day - make sure they have a chance to GET tired before nap time. If all their time before nap is spent in quiet activity, they may be too antsy. Give them plenty of upbeat activity in the morning. Before actually laying them down, give them about 15-20 minutes to play quietly with the lights out and soft music on. Let them play anyway they choose, but keep the mood low-key if you can. Get the ones who want to sleep down first - you ought to have at least one or two in the group (if you don't, it's probably because there's a problem with your schedule - make some changes). Accept the fact that while you're patting the backs of some children, others will want to get up and walk around. As long as they aren't bothering the nappers, let them do this for a few minutes. Soon you'll be left with just the 4-5 most antsy.

Be patient. Infinite patience is key here. Naps will turn into a power struggle that you will lose every time. Don't yell at them to lay down, don't hold them down on their cots. Smile, speak in a calm, gentle voice, and they will settle down.

The general rule I follow is that, after patting a child's back (or whatever) for 20 minutes, if they are not sleeping (or close), they probably are not going to sleep. Make sure this child understands that s/he must stay on the cot and rest quietly, looking at a book or working on a puzzle. Some kids won't sleep every day - some kids will only sleep a few minutes. The more they get into the routine of resting quietly, the less of a headache it will be for you.

Good luck!

Answer 12

I do this in kdg.  While the music is playing I walk around and put stickers on the kids who are being the stillest and quietest. Sometimes a child wakes up with stickers all over him. They think that's funny. I sometimes give a prize at the end of the week to the one who received the most stickers. It sounds corny I know..but this one class I had just had a blast finding out who had stickers all over them when they woke up. I put them on their arms..faces etc.

Answer 13

classical music

Answer 14

going to sleep is not the most important part of nap time really it is just taking a short break I used to tell my children that you don't have to go to sleep but ou do need to lay still, close your mouth, and your eyes  but I always stressed that I was not making them go to sleep they were always in a better mood when they woke up.