Help Toddlers Nap

09/20/2013

The environment, after all, is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest. It is one thing that all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.
Lady Bird Johnson

In Being with Infants and Toddlers, Beverly Kovach and Susan Patrick suggest that toddlers need to learn how to adjust to napping in a classroom environment. To help them make this adjustment, they suggest...

Observe the signs of tiredness. Reflect what you see is happening to his body: "I see you are rubbing your eyes (and so on)."
Allow ample time for toddlers to process during nap transitions (20 - 30 minutes).
Let the toddler help through the transitions (get his own bedding, take off his own shoes, pull down the shade).
Decrease activity level by providing a calm atmosphere leading up to nap time.
Tell the toddler it is time to "rest" his body (avoid using the word "sleep"). Calm your own body down as a model to the toddler.

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