Making Bedtime Pleasant and Peaceful

• Develop special bedtime routines with your child - a special song, a good-night rhyme, a stuffed animal just to sleep with.
• For many children, the key to successful bedtime is helping them "wind down". Many tantrums are caused when parents try to put children to bed without ample preparation. 
• Help your child adjust to the idea of going to bed by creating a sense of calm and allowing time for her to transition from play to rest. 
• The classic bedtime story is a great way to make the transition to sleep. Reading together can provide quiet cuddling time, help your child relax before bed, and instill a lifelong love reading.

This activity helps children anticipate going to bed and is a fun way to introduce concepts of time and numbers. 

• Set a timer for 1 hour before bedtime and show your child what you are doing.
•  As your child completes his/her bedtime activities, announce how much time is left every fifteen minutes.
•  When the last fifteen-minute period starts, begin making final preparations for going to sleep - snuggle and talk about the day, read a special story, or sing a favorite song.

• Make a list of the various activities your child does each night before bed (e.g., put on pajamas, brush teeth, have a drink, etc.) using pictures to represent each activity.
• Make a list of the pictures of all the bedtime activities your child must complete each night before bed.
• As your child does each activity on the picture list, she will know that bedtime is approaching bedtime. 
• Be sure the final activity is fun and soothing.

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