Quiet Time

Quiet Time

Purpose:  

So that Mama and children can get some needed rest time and break from interaction.

Implementation:

We started quiet time when Abraham was growing out of his afternoon nap around age 2.  I made a big deal out of it, emphasizing that now that he was growing out of naps, he was old enough for what the big kids do.  If your child doesn't have a CD player and doesn't know how to work one, that (along with a few good CD's) is a great "you're growing up and now get quiet time" gift.  We started slowly--with quiet time only lasting ten, or even five minutes.  From there we worked up to where we are now, with quiet time lasting anywhere from one to one and a half hours.  We put an analog clock in his room, so I could show him that I would be back "when the big hand was on the three," etc.  If needed, you could even make a "quiet time chart."  It's tricky at the beginning to teach a two year old to stay in his room alone, but it's worth the effort!

Rules:  

• You need to have quiet time by yourself
• Do not come out until I get you
• You may listen to soft music (see below)
• You may play with soft toys
• No loud sounds or noise making toys
• Reading, playing quietly, listening to quiet music or books on tape and napping are great things to do during quiet time

Music:

When we started quiet time, we put a simple little CD player in Abe's room and taught him how to use it.  We taught him the proper treatment of CD's, and which of his CD's were quiet time appropriate.  

Here are some music recommendations that Abe has enjoyed.

• Any classical music
• Books on tape (we get these from the library)
• Hymns or music from the Children's Songbook (all downloadable, even in French, Portuguese and Spanish!)
• Carnival of the Animals
• Peter and the Wolf (although that can get too scary)
• The Ratatouille Soundtrack
• Three Musical Fables with music by John Rutter
• All the Elizabeth Mitchell CD's are lovely and pretty mellow. We have: 
• Catch the Moon
• You are my Little Bird
• I love Putumayo.  They have CD compilations from all over the world, some CD's for kids that fall into two categories: "Playground" and "Dreamland" (the latter of which are good for quiet time).  We have "Animal Playground" which is really fun, and "Dreamland."

This is how Abe ends up more than half the time.  He has some reading time, then gives himself a nap!

Abraham has come to love and look forward to quiet time. It gives him a chance to decompress and relax mid-day, which has proven critical for our energetic, enthusiastic tyke. It gives him an outlet for imagination and exploration. It also gives me much-needed quiet time. I time each day with my youngest's nap, so the whole house is peaceful for and hour or so.

Do you do "Quiet Time" at your house?  What do you do differently?  Do you have any more suggestions for good, quiet music your kids enjoy?  What is YOUR favorite quiet time activity?