How many hours of sleep should my 4 year old get a day?

Question

My son will be attending school from 8 am - 6 pm. No naps. How long should he sleep at night? I say he should at least go to bed no later than 8 pm. My other half suggests that I am slowing his growth/development and it's important to do activities such as swimming, piano, etc.. I agree but why can't he do this on the weekends? Would you choose homework/activities over sleep? How many hours of sleep should my son have considering he gets no naps?

Answer 1

8or 9hours

Answer 2

Children that age should get around 12 hours of sleep.  At that age children usually do not receive homework so there is no worry there.  He will get plenty of time to grow and develop in school and have plenty of activities.  You don't need to worry about that too much.  Do what you can with him on the weekends and off days from school.

Answer 3

every human shud hav at least 8 hours of sleep per night..at da least

Answer 4

he's only four, he should be getting at least 10 hours of sleep. it is also important to get him involved in outside activities and bond with the family. i would say to not spend as much time on homework. he's just four, they don't get much homework in preschool.

Answer 5

he should get about 9-10 hours.

Answer 6

Tell your other half that not letting your son get enough sleep is slowing his growth/development.

Adults need no less than 8 hours of sleep at night to maximise their 'functioning'.

Children, since they are more active during the day need more sleep. The reccommended time is between 10 to 12 hours.

Children can suffer from memory loss, behavioural issues, and health problems (constantly getting sick) if they don't meet their rest needs.

Generally a school will have quiet/rest time (like silent reading), so he will get some rest there.

Maybe if the afternoon activities don't go for longer than an hour each night, say have swimming one night, a night off, then piano lessons, then a night off, etc, and your other half may be ok with it. Yes, your son can do it on weekends, but when that's the only "family time" your other half gets, it'll put a strain on your relationship.

Good luck. I hope you get the answers you're looking for.

Answer 7

Sleep is extremely important to his growth and development. I would prioritize sleep and have him in bed by 7. Sad he has to school so long at that age. I hope there is fun stuff in all that. No way would I deprive him of sleep.

My boys get 11 to 12 hours of sleep at age four. Typical sleep for that age is 10 to 12 hours. If you put him in bed by 7 he can get as much as he needs.

Answer 8

My son is about to turn 4. He normally goes to bed about 8pm and gets up around 7:30am. He does not often have a sleep during the day.

Everyone is different, this is just my experience.

Answer 9

She get atleast 8 to 10 hours of sleep.

Answer 10

your child should get a soild 10-12 hours a night, they are getting a bit old for day sleeps anyway. since they are at school so long (why?) i would leave out homework (unless they are struggling but they are 4) and even leave out the sports and spend quality time with them since you won't be seeing them all day, keep the bond going.

good luck.

Answer 11

8 hours

Answer 12

on a school night my children go to bed by 7:00pm :-)

Answer 13

At 4 years old he won't get a chance to take a nap at school?  I teach pre-K and my kids get an hour nap.  I would question a school that doesn't give him a chance to nap with a day that long.  

If he isn't getting a nap at school he definitely needs to go to bed earlier.  At this age, I think the appropriate amount of sleep is way more important than taking piano lessons!

Answer 14

Gee thats a really long day .. My 5 yr old goes to school from 8.50-3.10, his bed time is 8pm but he really struggles to stay awake until then and usually askes to go to bed about 7.30pm. He sleeps until around 6.30/7am.

I would never choose activities or homewoek over sleep, an over tired child usually means a naughty child (they just cant seem to help it).  There is plenty of time for those acitivties on the weekend, remembering he is only 4......

Answer 15

Not getting enough sleep will slow his growth/development.  Activities are important but overwhelming him will hurt more than help.  He is only four and he has the rest of his life to learn how to play the piano, etc.  Take things in stride or he is going to get burned out and hate all the activities.  Remember, they grow up sooo fast and he will never be four again.

As far as getting enough sleep, I have a four year old and I looked this up because I had the same question.  I copied this from www.sleepfoundation.org:

Preschoolers typically sleep 11-13 hours each night and most do not nap after five years of age. As with toddlers, difficulty falling asleep and waking up during the night are common. With further development of imagination, preschoolers commonly experience nighttime fears and nightmares. In addition, sleepwalking and sleep terrors peak during preschool years.

Sleep Tips for Preschoolers

Maintain a regular and consistent sleep schedule.

Have a relaxing bedtime routine that ends in the room where the child sleeps.

Child should sleep in the same sleeping environment every night, in a room that is cool, quiet and dark – and without a TV.

Good luck!!!!

Answer 16

I would think they should get at least 10 hours a night. My son will be 4 in August and he rarely has a sleep during the day. If we're in the car of an afternoon he might drift off to sleep but never stays asleep.

He gets around 10 hours a night and has boundless energy throughout the day. Let your son give you an idea, if by 6.30pm he is irritable and clearly tired then you know that he needs more sleep.

As for extra curricular activities I wouldn't be worrying to much about that just yet. A child grows and excels in development by just being a kid ad interacting with other kids. Save the swimming and piano for when their a little older and will appreciate it more.

Answer 17

I have a 4 yr old daughter.Well I say it depends on child.If you feel he is tired or not in a mood to do homework or sport activities you should ask him to sleep.But at the same time other activities has to be balanced .The first few years of childhood makes a designing of personality.So you should try balancing his schooling,sports and other activites.If my daughter goes to school everyday full time well,i would prefer weekends for extra activities.

And my daughter sleeps at 9.00 if not wakened she can sleep until 9 00 am.I feel they require atleat 11 hrs of sleep.

This is my sharing.

Answer 18

I don't know what with men.. I have the same exact conversation almost 1 to 2 time a week at last year.. men feels sympathy to kids because they think like them.. ha ha kids needs at least 10 hours a night.. and yes I pick home work because if I don't at least my kids they will fall behind and I'll have to spent the weekend trying to catch.. instead for doing physical things.

Answer 19

Kids around for should get around 10 hrs of sleep trust me i didnt like to sleep when i was 4 so my whole life i had bags under my eyes