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Since my oldest kids were very little we've always had nap time in our home. Once some of the kids got older and grew out of naps it switched to quiet time, but either way is serves the same purpose. To let everyone rest! After lunch is a good time to send everyone their separate ways, so that they can all come back together refreshed and ready to be together again.
This time allows mom to take a nap if she needs one (during pregnancy, after having a baby, and just one of those days that calls for a nap). After a few hours of caring for little ones, teaching, cooking, helping to resolve conflicts, and home management sometimes we get a bit overwhelmed. Having a couple of quiet hours in the middle of the day can help us regroup.
The older kids usually have some chores or school work to do. Smaller kids are assigned an area and activity such as "the living room with the wooden train set" or "the doll corner" The smallest kids (ages 3 and under at least) take naps.
I also use nap time to get some quality one-on-one time with the kids. They each have a day that is "theirs" and they know I'll be finding something special to do with them on that day. Sometimes I have them work on some special task with me, other times we will share a treat and talk. One of my littles is growing out of naps, but still needs her rest; she also LOVES to sleep in my bed so on her special day we snuggle up in my bed together and watch a movie.
After nap time I'm generally rested and ready to move on with our day with more energy and we are all happy to be coming back together since we've missed each other!
I'm linking to Making your home sing Monday.
I really like the idea of giving each one a special day at rest time. Mine are 10 month, 5, and 7 and they all still take rests in the middle of the day. It allows us to keep positive for Daddy later in the evening instead of being tired and cranky when he is home. It also allows me the time I need to accomplish things that only Mommy can do. I'm so glad you wrote this today; I was praying for a way to help them see how this is a good part of our day and now I think I have it!
ReplyDeleteI love quiet time! My boys are 15, 11, 9, and 5, so no more naps here, but some enforced peace and quiet are a wonderful way to keep the house in check in the middle of the day. Plus, I get to spend time writing or cleaning!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, and thanks for dropping by The Home Front! Blessings!
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ReplyDeleteI do marketing consulting for a living, so it's just a tip! Happy Blogging!
Such a sweet picture! I love that you are making sure each child gets some individual time, that would be hard in a large family I imagine! I only have two and mine are grown.
ReplyDeleteI remember how important those nap times were, lol! Thanks for linking up to Making Your Home Sing Monday!