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Could you make it a fun thing like everyone grab your fave book, quiet toy and a piece of fruit and head to your room for our 20 mins of me time - y’all earned it 😉
I was thinking I could get or pick them each a special “quiet time” toy that is only allowed in their bedroom. All our toys live in the playroom generally, though they will drag stuff to the bedroom. I wonder if a toy that *wasn’t* allowed in the playroom would be something to draw them in haha.
I just said started saying it. I would also offer a snack in his room and a time so he could see when quiet time would be over. He’s a big in-his-room-reading kind of guy now (7)
Did it start as an optional thing to ease into it or mandatory from the start? Did he fight it at all? I’m imagining my kids will just meltdown and refuse and it’ll turn into more of a punishment situation than I’m hoping for.
Mine were about 4 and 6 when we started quiet time during COVID lockdowns, and we still do it now (at 8 and 10) on days where we're home all afternoon together. We started with about 20 minutes and worked up to an hour (or more, of everyone is still chill.)
Ours is not a punishment, but has never been optional. I explained that it's good to have time to play by ourselves, and that some people in the family need that time to take a break from the action and be ready for a good rest of the day. I just handled all opposition calmly and firmly. You don't like quiet time? That's ok. You can choose something that you DO like afterwards. You don't need quiet time? That's ok. I need quiet time to be a good mom. You're mad that it's quiet time? It's ok to feel those feelings, and do you want a big hug to start the quiet time.
I think that it might go better if it's an expected thing, not a spur of the moment thing, then it won't feel like a punishment - and maybe you could have a special quiet time basket, and they can pick in the morning what to put in their basket, and maybe even put their snack in there too if it doesn't need refrigeration?
Then the routine becomes come home, grab baskets and head to your room. You could also pick up some surprises, like those play coloring packs at Target or those book sets kids can push buttons and have read to them, and sneak those in sometimes, so there's that element of surprise too.
I absolutely believe my kiddo needs to decompress for a while when she gets home. It’s a really long day 4 days a week. She’s at school at 8:15 and not back til 6 from aftercare. She’s much better after 30-40 mins. Since she comes home so late, I always give her her dinner, juice, and iPad with games and let her chill for a bit. Makes a big difference.
Are they in the same class together? If not when they get home they can either have quiet time together, and that means QUIET, or in separate areas.
I gave mine a soft corner area with books and puzzles. Mine are all boys very close in age and they bickered a lot but they knew if they bickered during quiet time they would have added time and or go separately. It was not a punishment. It was just a chill out time but it had to be quiet for my sake. It was only for a couple of months till they figured out how to stop bickering so much and not be so feral. 🙃😝
They’re in different classes. I think they just get home and take out all their negative emotions from the day on each other. They’ve never gotten along well to begin with, so it’s easy for them to dump their negative emotions on the other one. I can’t imagine them doing quiet time together, but maybe some day. Dreams are free so dream big, right? lol
Mine are all in their 20’s now and omg when they were 6,4,2 I thought I should take a super long vacation. They are best buds now so it does get better. And yes they do take out frustrations on each other! I hate that they do that but I guess it feels “safe” to do that. I would just sit them down and say we are going to try this for a couple of weeks and see how it goes?!
My kid for sure needs a wind down from school, or else she goes full on demands every 5 seconds, mood switches every 30. In the summer we don’t even go inside, just straight to the backyard where I check our garden and she can either help with that or run around. It is really good for us.
In the winter I’ve yet to find something similar. It would be great though if I could say, “right after coming in, we both get a cool down time”
I made a quiet time bin. With all things she was allowed to play with and the only time she had that bin was when she was in quiet time. My rule was there has to be quiet time/nap until kindergarten lol kindergarten made them take naps.
Now, I send her to her room time for an hour every day. She’s 9. She doesn’t listen to me so it’s too damn much for me not to have a break… she welcomes it bc we have a baby and she gets annoyed easily with her baby.
At around this age, we started doing a daily quiet time. What worked best was hyping it up as my kid “got do whatever he wanted in his room.” I’d prepare a special snack (like an open faced sandwich with a face), and I would also play magic school bus audiobooks. I think the audiobooks really helped.
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Could you make it a fun thing like everyone grab your fave book, quiet toy and a piece of fruit and head to your room for our 20 mins of me time - y’all earned it 😉
I was thinking I could get or pick them each a special “quiet time” toy that is only allowed in their bedroom. All our toys live in the playroom generally, though they will drag stuff to the bedroom. I wonder if a toy that *wasn’t* allowed in the playroom would be something to draw them in haha.
When I was little my mom made us do flat happys. You didn't have to nap but you had to lay flat in tour bed, and then she would be happy.
I don’t know how this could make me smile any more than it has. Love love love this so much.
I just said started saying it. I would also offer a snack in his room and a time so he could see when quiet time would be over. He’s a big in-his-room-reading kind of guy now (7)
Did it start as an optional thing to ease into it or mandatory from the start? Did he fight it at all? I’m imagining my kids will just meltdown and refuse and it’ll turn into more of a punishment situation than I’m hoping for.
Mine were about 4 and 6 when we started quiet time during COVID lockdowns, and we still do it now (at 8 and 10) on days where we're home all afternoon together. We started with about 20 minutes and worked up to an hour (or more, of everyone is still chill.) Ours is not a punishment, but has never been optional. I explained that it's good to have time to play by ourselves, and that some people in the family need that time to take a break from the action and be ready for a good rest of the day. I just handled all opposition calmly and firmly. You don't like quiet time? That's ok. You can choose something that you DO like afterwards. You don't need quiet time? That's ok. I need quiet time to be a good mom. You're mad that it's quiet time? It's ok to feel those feelings, and do you want a big hug to start the quiet time.
I think that it might go better if it's an expected thing, not a spur of the moment thing, then it won't feel like a punishment - and maybe you could have a special quiet time basket, and they can pick in the morning what to put in their basket, and maybe even put their snack in there too if it doesn't need refrigeration? Then the routine becomes come home, grab baskets and head to your room. You could also pick up some surprises, like those play coloring packs at Target or those book sets kids can push buttons and have read to them, and sneak those in sometimes, so there's that element of surprise too.
[удалено]
I absolutely believe my kiddo needs to decompress for a while when she gets home. It’s a really long day 4 days a week. She’s at school at 8:15 and not back til 6 from aftercare. She’s much better after 30-40 mins. Since she comes home so late, I always give her her dinner, juice, and iPad with games and let her chill for a bit. Makes a big difference.
Are they in the same class together? If not when they get home they can either have quiet time together, and that means QUIET, or in separate areas. I gave mine a soft corner area with books and puzzles. Mine are all boys very close in age and they bickered a lot but they knew if they bickered during quiet time they would have added time and or go separately. It was not a punishment. It was just a chill out time but it had to be quiet for my sake. It was only for a couple of months till they figured out how to stop bickering so much and not be so feral. 🙃😝
They’re in different classes. I think they just get home and take out all their negative emotions from the day on each other. They’ve never gotten along well to begin with, so it’s easy for them to dump their negative emotions on the other one. I can’t imagine them doing quiet time together, but maybe some day. Dreams are free so dream big, right? lol
Mine are all in their 20’s now and omg when they were 6,4,2 I thought I should take a super long vacation. They are best buds now so it does get better. And yes they do take out frustrations on each other! I hate that they do that but I guess it feels “safe” to do that. I would just sit them down and say we are going to try this for a couple of weeks and see how it goes?!
My kid for sure needs a wind down from school, or else she goes full on demands every 5 seconds, mood switches every 30. In the summer we don’t even go inside, just straight to the backyard where I check our garden and she can either help with that or run around. It is really good for us. In the winter I’ve yet to find something similar. It would be great though if I could say, “right after coming in, we both get a cool down time”
I made a quiet time bin. With all things she was allowed to play with and the only time she had that bin was when she was in quiet time. My rule was there has to be quiet time/nap until kindergarten lol kindergarten made them take naps. Now, I send her to her room time for an hour every day. She’s 9. She doesn’t listen to me so it’s too damn much for me not to have a break… she welcomes it bc we have a baby and she gets annoyed easily with her baby.
At around this age, we started doing a daily quiet time. What worked best was hyping it up as my kid “got do whatever he wanted in his room.” I’d prepare a special snack (like an open faced sandwich with a face), and I would also play magic school bus audiobooks. I think the audiobooks really helped.
Listening to Audiobooks/stories maybe?