How To Swap Naptime for Quiet Time

Whether your child is ready to stop napping, or you no longer want them to because it's impacting bedtime, it’s important to remember that children often still need that downtime during the day. 

Some children may need downtime every day, while others less frequently. Some might need longer stretches that fully replace their nap, some just 20 minutes.

As we’ve mentioned many times before, every child is different. Some children are able to 'go go go' from morning to night, while others need time to relax and recharge between activities. 

How To Transition Naps to Quiet Time in 3 Steps

If you or your child needs a break during the day, here is how to transition naps to quiet time:

1. Make it part of your routine, just like naptime was.

The goal is no longer sleep; it’s now quiet, independent play.

Start with a few minutes of independent play time, staying close by (doing a chore, reading a book, etc) and gradually add more time on as your child grows more comfortable with the routine. If your child enjoys visual or audio cues, use a timer to indicate when quiet time starts and ends.  

You can set up an area specifically for quiet time in their bedroom, the playroom, or family room.

As they get older, you can give them more freedom to play independently and unsupervised during quiet time. When they're younger, and just transitioning out of nap, it's easier to set up a defined space for quiet time.

2. Choose the right activities.

If you're going to set up activities or toys, these are the ones used in the classroom most often:

• calming, open-ended materials that can be explored independently - blocks, Duplo, Magnatiles, which you could pair with animal/people figurines or cars
• Yoto player
• Books
• low-mess art materials - stickers, crayons, paper,
• Puzzles
• Busy Books

3. Model quiet activities.

Do a quiet activity alongside them. In the classroom, an effective strategy in helping the children to be quiet was to whisper.

Read a book, draw a picture, and only whisper when speaking. This helps set the tone that you’re calm and quiet.