Creating a Bedtime Routine
Do you have a bedtime routine with your children? I hope so. Children of all ages thrive with routine, and as many children head back to school they would so benefit with a routine in place. They love knowing when things will happen and what to expect next. Having a routine for many parts of our day alleviates so many struggles and never is this more true than at bedtime!
Scholastic and Orajel™ are coming together to encourage parents to make reading out loud to their children and brushing their teeth part of their family’s bedtime routine. And I couldn’t agree more! The Read2Me Tonight campaign gives parents many resources to motivate them to read with their children each night. In addition to these resources, parents can also find a free Scholastic e-book called The Three Bees, the 100 Best Read-Aloud Books, and important articles from the editors of Scholastic Parents.
So what does our routine look like? I created this little chart for Chickadee and Sprout so they know what to expect each night as they wind down for bed. (please right click to download and print)
Before beginning our bedtime routine, we always give the kids a heads up that it is time for their last “activity” before cleaning up and heading to take a bath. We have found Chickadee especially does well when she knows her playing time is about to come to an end.
After taking a bath and putting on pajamas both kids brush their teeth.
Neither of them have even been big fans, but we know the importance of starting this habit early. We have tried several strategies from letting them lay down to brush teeth to bushing their teeth in the dark.
What works best for Sprout is having him mimic funny faces we make where you have to open your mouth pretty wide. Chickadee is now at the age where we expect her to follow directions and does pretty well with letting us brush her teeth.
Finally we snuggle up on the glider or daybed to read a book and the kid’s devotion. Reading is a great way to settle kids down before bedtime. Also research shows that reading aloud to your kids and talking about the story drastically increases their vocabulary and deep thinking skills. (Had to make that plug as a former teacher!). Chickadee is 2.5 and loves reading the pictures to Sprout. Scholastic is offering a free e-book called The Three Bees that stresses the importance of a bedtime routine (a little three B’s word play, brush, book, bed). You should definitely head over and check it out! If you are looking for other great read alouds Scholastic has your covered with their list of the 100 Best Read Aloud Books.
Having a predictable bedtime routine in place alleviates stress for both children and their parents. With a little work and consistency bedtime can be a smooth process that every looks forward to and family memories are made!
What have you found works best as part of your bedtime routine?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of ORAJEL. The opinions and text are all mine.
Excellent! I always loved reading books to my children and grandchildren when they were little. And the importance of a bedtime routine cannot be stressed enough. I also like that you brought up clearly delineated transition time so that no one is caught off guard. Good post!